A Gift Worth Giving
by Animercom
Summary: Fed up with each other, Kuwabara and Hiei make a bet to settle once and for all who makes Yukina happier. They have two weeks to prepare the perfect gift for Yukina. Meanwhile, Yusuke and Kurama decide to "help" their friends by playing pranks on them. Kuwa x Yuk, Yus x Kei, Kur x Bot
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

Her brow creasing in concentration, Yukina raked the leaves at Genkai's temple into a pile. A strange apparition in the corner of her eye caught the ice demon's attention. Turning, Yukina fixed her red eyes on the sky. Hanging in the heavens, different colored beams shimmered across the blue expanse.

"Wow," Yukina breathed, "a rainbow…" A slow, content smile grew on her face as her eyes became distant.

"What's so interesting about a rainbow?" a voice asked in a bored tone.

Jumping, Yukina turned, putting a hand on her chest. The rake tumbled to the ground. "Hiei-san!"

The fire demon lazily stared at her with the same red eyes Yukina had. "You've been staring at it for the past five minutes."

"Oh, have I? I'm sorry. I didn't realize." Yukina turned back to the rainbow in the sky, which was noticeably fainter than it had been five minutes prior. Yukina began to answer, "Well, it's just…" However, her words trailed off like the ocean receding at low tide. She watched the rainbow with a happy little smile on her face as though she hadn't been interrupted at all.

After a moment of silence, Hiei shook his head and began to turn away. Strangely, a ghost of a smile touched his face. He muttered, "So simple minded—"

"It reminds me of my home."

Hiei stiffened, before turning back to Yukina in surprise. "There were no rainbows in the land of the ice, of course," Yukina continued. "It only ever snowed. Or hailed. No rain. But at the northern most reaches of our land, another great big light show was in the sky: the aurora borealis." Yukina's eyes misted over in a haze of remembrance as she explained, "It stretched on for miles. Every shade of blue and green and purple hung over the barren icy wasteland. With just the right of amount of red highlights, the aurora borealis shimmered in the sky. I was always fascinated at how those rays could turn the darkness and coldness of the night into a beautiful display of light and hope."

Quieted, Hiei gazed down at the ground. After a moment, he asked, "Why did you go there?"

"Ah, I just went there to think, really. To think about my brother and if he ever saw the aurora borealis. If he was gazing up at it now as it danced before my eyes. To consider if my brother ever missed the aurora borealis." Yukina's smile turned bittersweet as she whispered softly "…or me."

Hiei seriously deliberated the question. _Did I miss my sister? No, I didn't miss her; finding her was the only purpose I could think of for myself._ Glancing sidelong at Yukina, Hiei wondered, _If she knew that I was her brother, would she miss her imagined version of her brother? Or would she—_

"Yukina-san, my love!"

"Kazuma-san?" Yukina's eyes widened at the sight of Kuwabara standing in the temple's doorway while Hiei scowled.

With a swiftness that rivaled Hiei's speed, Kuwabara appeared next to Yukina. He grasped Yukina's hands in his hands, cooing, "How are you?"

For a reason she didn't understand, Yukina's cheeks warmed. "I'm fine. It's good to see you."

Hiei fixed the happy duo with a sour frown. Yukina hadn't said that to _him_.

Kuwabara's eyes going mopey, he clutched Yukina's hands to his chest. "It's been too long, my sweet. But don't worry, I'm here now and—"

Putting himself in between the two, Hiei announced, "The others are here."

Her face lighting up, Yukina asked, "Really? How wonderful. Oh, I have to go greet our guests!" Yukina stepped back, breaking off hand contact with Kuwabara. She bowed, "Please excuse me." Without looking back, Yukina darted into the temple.

"Er, okay," Kuwabara stammered. No one answered.

Hiei smirked. Turning up his head, Hiei put his hands in the pockets of his black overcoat and strode into the temple. " _Baka_."

Gnashing his teeth together, Kuwabara fist trembled. "That stupid shrimp. I'll show him someday!" Kuwabara remained outside, building up his anger, until he realized that he was alone. He dashed towards the temple, crying, "Hey, wait for me!"

* * *

Laughter and the sound of clinking dishware filled Genkai's temple as a group of friends settled in to catch up on each other lives and drink tea.

"So you came, Hiei."

Hiei looked up to see Kurama sitting down across from him, a cup of tea in his hand. With a mischievous gleam in his eyes, Kurama added, "I guess the threat of Kuwabara-kun making a move on Yukina-san was too much for you—"

"Shut up," Hiei hissed. To Hiei's irritation, Kurama's smirk only grew bigger.

"Hello, guys!" Botan sat down next to Kurama, flashing him a bright smile. "Hello, Kurama. How is your family?"

"Ah, they're doing well. And you? How is ferrying souls? I hope Koenma hasn't been pushing you too hard."

Botan threw her hands up in the air. "All I hear all day is long is do this, do that, hurry up you're too slow, and I'm not getting any younger here! But at least I have a couple of days off coming up."

"That's good to hear," smiled Kurama. Botan returned his smile, her cheeks tinted red. Hiei rolled his eyes and tried not to gag.

To their right, Keiko, Yusuke, and Genkai were discussing Yusuke's hooky habits. "And he missed part of Thursday and Friday!" Keiko exclaimed to Genkai. Keiko narrowed her eyes at Yusuke. "The weekend does not start on Thursday!"

Yusuke shrugged, "It does for my mom."

Keiko protested, "Yeah, but—"

"No one wants a dumb husband," Genkai quipped as she sipped her tea.

"S-Shut up, hag!" Yusuke huffed. Keiko hid her embarrassment by drinking more of her tea. To Keiko, Yusuke countered, "Yeah, well, no one wants a wife who can't cook, neither!"

 _Smack!_

"I can't believe you said that, Yusuke! That's so nasty!" Keiko cried.

Rubbing his red cheek, Yusuke glared at Keiko. "Well, you keep on badgering me about missing school. Why is it that you can nag me all you want, but the instant I open my mouth you smack me?"

"Because you're an idiot?" Genkai helpfully offered.

Keiko objected, "I'm just trying to help you!"

"So am I, you know! The first step to moving forward is admitting you have a problem, right? You can't cook. So I'll help you and—"

 _Smack!_

"WOULD YOU LET ME FINISH, WOMAN?!"

"Why should I? All you're going to do is insult me!"

Shaking his head, Kurama commented, "We haven't even been here for five minutes."

Resting her head on a hand, Botan asked, "What are they even arguing about?"

Kurama shrugged. "I'm beginning to think what they argue about doesn't matter to them anymore. Bickering is just how they relate to each other."

Feeling uncomfortable in the tense atmosphere, Yukina stood up. "Where are you going, Yukina-san?" Kuwabara asked, distraught. When he saw Yukina turn to the exit, he reached out a hand to her. "I haven't finished telling you about the Megallica concert yet!"

Turning back to Kuwabara, Yukina gently grasped Kuwabara's hand in with both of her hands. Despite being an ice maiden, the light in Yukina's smile soothed Kuwabara like a toasty, relaxing fire after a day of playing in the snow. "Don't worry, Kazuma-san. I want to hear the rest of it. I'm going to make some more tea, so I'll be back in just a moment."

If Yukina's smile was a warm fireplace, Kuwabara's face turned into a fiery hot inferno. "A-Ah, okay." Giving Kuwabara's hands a squeeze, Yukina left the room. Shocked, Kuwabara gaped at her retreating figure. Then he exploded with the force of a volcano.

"Didja guys see that?"

Yusuke, who was across from Kuwabara, sat with his arms crossed and with his back towards Keiko. Keiko had adopted a similar pose. However, Yusuke broke off his silent standoff between him and Keiko to acknowledge Kuwabara. "See what?" he asked, annoyed.

His excitement building, Kuwabara stood up and pointed at the hallway Yukina had disappeared down. "Yukina-san! She, she held my hand!"

Yusuke made a circle in the air with his index finger. "Yippee. So what's next? Writing Yukina's name in sharpie all over you school notebooks?"

"Don't be stupid, Urameshi! I already have a notebook of places to go with Yukina-san and activities we can do together. Things like I teach her how to hold a billiards cue stick, or what slick thing I should say when she's upset, or our hands accidently brushing as we both go for the popcorn at a movie, or…"

Stunned, everyone stared at Kuwabara.

Kuwabara blinked. "What? What's wrong?"

Kurama coughed into a fist. Then he chuckled and smiled up at Kuwabara. "Wow, Kuwabara-kun. I didn't know you were that serious about Yukina-san."

Sucking in a deep breath though his nose, Kuwabara pounded his puffed out chest with a fist. "But of course! My happiness is Yukina-san's happiness!"

"You fool!"

Hiei stood up and threw his tea cup to the ground, causing it to smash in a thousand pieces. Everyone jumped. His fist trembling with restrained rage, Hiei bit out, "You don't know the first thing about making Yukina happy!"

Kuwabara leaned down towards Hiei, his hands on his hips. He sneered in Hiei's face, "Like you would know how to make _anyone_ happy."

" _Kisama_ …" Hiei snarled. The two growled in each other's faces until a voice cut through the tension like a knife.

"Well, there _is_ one simple way that you can prove who can make Yukina-san happier."

Everyone turned to see the kitsune grin. "The both of you give her a gift. Whichever gift she likes more means that person can make Yukina-san happier than the other."

"What?" Hiei protested.

"That's perfect!" Kuwabara cheered. Leaning back, Kuwabara puts his hands on his hips and smirked. "There's no way you can get Yukina-san a better gift than me. Why you don't even know the first thing about Yukina-san!"

"Uh, Kuwabara-kun?" Kurama interrupted. "You shouldn't provoke—"

Hiei glared at Kuwabara with such intensity that steel would have melted. Then, to everyone's surprise, Hiei visibly calmed down. He leaned back and placed a hand on a hip. In a deceptively collected voice, Hiei asked, "So you want to have a little competition? I accept. If there's one thing I know it's that a worm is more desirable than you."

"Why you little runt!"

Confused, Yukina stood by the entrance to the foyer, overseeing everything that had occurred. "Kazuma-san and Hiei-san are getting me gifts?" Yukina murmured to herself. She stared down at the tea kettle in her hands. A surge of determination sweeping through her, Yukina gripped the kettle so tight it shook. "Then I'll have to get them presents, too!"

* * *

"Man, can you believe what happened back there? Pretty crazy," Yusuke stated, crossing his arms behind his head as he walked.

Kurama hummed his agreement. "I certainly didn't expect to spiral out of control."

"That's why…" Yusuke walked in front of Kurama and turned on his heel to face Kurama. In the light of the streetlamp, Yusuke grinned at Kurama and gave him a thumbs up. "We're going to step in and 'help' them!"

Kurama paused. Then he continued walking past Yusuke. "Oh, no, we're not."

"What?" Yusuke gasped, surprised. He chased after Kurama. "What do you mean we're not? You're the one who came up with the idea of getting presents for Yukina."

"Yes, but that is enough. Any more interference on our part could potentially ruin their relationship. Their relationships are very unsteady as it is."

Yusuke grabbed Kurama's shoulder and jerked him to face Yusuke. "That's exactly why we have to help! Didn't you hear what they threatened each other?"

Kurama frowned, and shifted his gaze to the sidewalk. "I… I did…" The memory of the argument washed over the two.

 _"So you want to have a little competition? I accept. If there's one thing I know it's that a worm is more desirable than you."_

 _"Why you little runt!" Kuwabara shrieked, blowing his stack. "I'll prove to you and everyone that I can make Yukina-san happy! And when I beat you…" Kuwabara jabbed his finger into Hiei's chest. "You'll tell me what your relationship with Yukina-san is!"_

 _Hiei's eyes widened momentarily. Then his carefully crafted neutral expression returned. "Fine. But if I win, you'll never see Yukina again."_

 _"Fine! But there's no way I'm going to lose to a runt like you!"_

 _Yusuke, Kurama, and Botan gasped, horrified by the wager. They turned to each other wide eyed and slack-jawed, all thinking the same thing: What are we going to do?_

"Look, Kurama," Yusuke continued in a softer tone. "You saw how Kuwabara and Hiei bolted out of the temple after they made that bet. They're taking this seriously. And if either of them wins…"

Kurama inwardly sighed. Obviously Yusuke wasn't going to give up. He turned to face Yusuke head on and crossed his arms. "You have a plan?"

"You betcha I do!" Yusuke crowed, giving Kurama a thumbs up.

"Oh?" Kurama raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"We make 'em both look like fools by playing practical jokes on them!"

"What?!"

Yusuke nabbed Kurama's shoulders and pulled Kurama closer. Surprised, Kurama leaned back. "Think about it. If we make them look stupid and prove it, then we'll show themselves and everyone they can't make Yukina happy."

"…And you plan on doing by playing pranks on them."

"Yes!"

Kurama swatted off Yusuke's hands and continued walking down the sidewalk. "I'll pass, thanks."

"Argh! Kurama!" Cupping his hands around his mouth, Yusuke called, "You're just scared!"

Kurama stopped dead in his tracks. Looking over his shoulder, Kurama narrowed his eyes at Yusuke. "I'm not scared."

Barely suppressing his smirk, Yusuke crossed his arms. "You know you'll never be able to play a trick on Hiei. Especially not one that'll trump what I got in store for Kuwabara. And then what'll that do to your rep as a master thief?"

"If I ever got serious, I could get Hiei could do anything I wanted. At the very least, I could easily outdo whatever idea you cobbled together in that scatterbrained mind of yours."

Yusuke grit his teeth, but he swallowed the urge to defend his pride. Instead he pointed his index finger at Kurama. The point of his finger glowed slightly, casting strange shadows over Yusuke's face. "Then prove it."

Kurama silently stared at Yusuke for several moments. Then he smirked and turned around, the darkness of the night swallowing him whole. In his wake, several fall leaves scuttled across the sidewalk.

"You forget, Kurama. You may be a thief, but _I'm_ …" Yusuke chuckled to himself. "A super delinquent!" Throwing his head back, Yusuke laughed into the night, "No one will know what'll hit them!"

* * *

Frowning, Kurama tapped his pencil against the worksheet lying on his desk. Try as he might, Kurama just couldn't concentrate on his homework. Out of the corner of his eye, Kurama spied a calendar hanging on the wall. "Two weeks…" Kurama muttered to himself.

Before Kuwabara and Hiei left Genkai's temple, they had proposed that they would return to Genkai's temple and present Yukina their gifts on the last day of the November, two weeks from now. Fourteen days until either Hiei told Kuwabara that Yukina was his sister or Kuwabara renounced seeing Yukina. Surely there was something Kurama could do to rectify this situation?

Leaning back in his chair, Kurama did what he did best: think. _Yusuke's strategy of humiliating Hiei and Kuwabara-kun isn't bad in theory, but playing pranks on them is hardly the best or the easiest method of completing that objective. The simplest way would be to hide Hiei's and Kuwabara-kun's present at the last minute, but the two would probably guard their respective gifts with their lives. I should consider another angle…_

Kurama smacked his fist into the palm of his other hand. _Of course! All I have to do is convince Hiei to give Yukina-san a bad present! Something so horrible that he couldn't possibly win!_

"What was that about a bad present?"

Surprised, Kurama whipped his head to the left, where Hiei stood by an open window. Hiei, leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed, smirked at Kurama. "You're losing your touch, kitsune. I barely had to extend any effort to sneak up on you and read your mind."

Deflecting the insult, Kurama parried with one of his own. "You're growing cold. I knew you had a short temper, but I hadn't known you to be so shallow. Making Kuwabara-kun promise to never see Yukina-san again, don't you think that's going a bit too far?"

Hiei cocked his head to the side and looked down at Kurama. "Hardly. This is the perfect opportunity to prove to the oaf that he can't make Yukina happy. And when he learns that, he'll be so brokenhearted he'll finally leave her alone."

Growing serious, Kurama whispered, "Is that what Yukina-san would want?"

Hiei stared off into the distance, silent. Sighing, Kurama turned back to his desk. "Well, it appears I am unable to convince you to leave this wager behind. What is it that you wanted?"

"I know what present I'm giving to Yukina."

Shocked, Kurama stammered, "Y-You do?!"

"Of course. I knew exactly what I was going to get her the instant we made the bet." Hiei snorted, "I doubt that moron knows what to give her."

Kurama stifled the urge to groan. _So much for that idea._ Aloud, he asked, "Then what are you doing here?"

Hiei pushed off the wall to fully face Kurama. Barely suppressed anger and furor rolled off of Hiei in waves.

"The present is most easily obtained in the Human Realm."

* * *

"No, no, no, no…" Kuwabara muttered, as he angrily flipped through the pages of a black book. When he accidentally nearly ripped a page, he froze. With extreme care he patted the page, removing its creases before moving on. "No, no, no—ugh!" Frustrated, Kuwabara plopped down on his bed, scowling at the ceiling.

 _"Fine. But if I win, you'll never see Yukina again."_

After heaving a sigh, Kuwabara glanced at the half opened black book in his hand. _Should I tell Yukina-san…? She has a right to know, but…_

But Kuwabara wanted to know with the whole fiber of his being that he could make Yukina happier than Hiei could.

 _Yeah, but… all my old ideas are too generic or stupid to make Yukina-san happy!_

"What in the world are you doing _now_?" Shizuru asked, opening up Kuwabara's bedroom door. Spying Kuwabara's book, Shizuru smirked, "Ah, so you're ditching Yukina-chan and looking up all your old girlfriends' numbers?"

Indignant, Kuwabara sat up and yelled, "I would never ditch Yukina-san!"

Pointing a lazy finger at the book, Shizuru drew Kuwabara's attention to the first couple of pages. Names and numbers were furiously scribbled out. "But that's your old contact book. Unless of course…" Shizuru retrieve a cigarette from her pocket and lit it. "You changed it into a Yukina-chan book chock full of all your fantasies about her."

"I do not have fantasies about Yukina-san, I have plans—! Onee-chan!" Kuwabara cried, going red.

Shizuru smirked and shook her head. That was her little brother. Stupid to a "T".

Glowering, Kuwabara began to rip out the pages at the beginning of the book. "I never had any girlfriend before."

"Because none of 'em liked your ugly mug."

Kuwabara stiffened, pausing mid-turn of a page. Shizuru frowned. He hadn't taken that last comment personally, did he? It was nothing special compared to their normal teasing. Taking a few steps into his bedroom, Shizuru asked, "Did something happen while you were at Genkai—" Shizuru froze, her brown eyes staring at out the window. "I sense something."

Immediately, Kuwabara's head snapped up, on high alert. Catching Kuwabara's eye, Shizuru tipped her head at him. "It seems you have a visitor."

* * *

Yukina clenched her hands so hard that her fingernails bit into her skin. With her goal in plain sight, she couldn't give up now. Not when she had been the source of so much contention. When she closed her eyes, she could still see the fury in Kuwabara's and Hiei's faces and the stricken expressions of her friends. Their angry shouts still clamored in her head. She may not have known what she could do to make her friends happy, but one thing was for sure.

She didn't have a lot of time.

Summoning her courage, Yukina raised a fist.

"Yukina-san!" A voice bellowed right in her face.

Kuwabara, at his sister's prompting, extended his senses to feel a certain familiar yoki. His heart leaping, Kuwabara bounded the stairs in one leap and opened the door. Sure enough, Yukina stood at the doorway. She stared at him like a deer caught in headlights.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I scare you? I'm sorry, Yukina-san!"

Blinking, Yukina slowly lowered her hand. "I-It's all right."

His demeanor turning serious, Kuwabara pounded his chest with a fist. "No, it's not all right. It's never all right for Kuwabara the man to scare anyone, especially someone as delicate as you."

Warmth spread throughout Yukina eliciting a smile from her lips. "Thank you, Kazuma-san."

"Eh?" Kuwabara blinked. "What for?"

Yukina paused, surprised by Kuwabara's reaction. Then she giggled.

Scratching the back of his head, Kuwabara chuckled along with Yukina. He wasn't exactly sure of what they were laughing at, but he didn't want Yukina to be uncomfortable. Though he was outwardly confused, his heart soared on the inside. _I did it! I made Yukina-san laugh! I don't know what I did, but I made her laugh!_

When their moment of laughter ceased, the two stared at each other for a moment. Yukina lowered her gaze and shuffled her feet, a blush on her cheeks. Kuwabara nodded his head slightly, trying to think of something to say. At the same moment, they shouted,

"I have something very important to tell you!"

They both paused. Then, "You go ahead, Yukina-san."

"No, you can tell me, Ka—"

"No, I insist. Ladies first."

Yukina's protests died on her lips. There it was again. That fluttering feeling in her chest. But now wasn't the time to be pondering such mysteries. Making dual fists, Yukina leaned forward, her intense red eyes boring into Kuwabara.

"Will you take me out?"

* * *

Taking a long drag of her cigarette, Shizuru replayed her conversation with Kuwabara in her head. How he froze when she poked fun about his lack of appeal. Shizuru knew her brother; when someone insulted him and pushed him to the ground, he just got right back up again, swinging his fists. He didn't just freeze and accept the abuse. _Something… something definitely happened while they were at Genkai's temple. But what?_

"I'm sorry, Monica, but I have to tell you something. I'm in love with your sister."

"Ugh! How dare you!" The resounding bang of a gun filled the air.

 _Oh well._ Shizuru laid her arm on the back of the couch and placed her feet on the table in front of her. Her TV show was just getting to the good part. _Kazuma's a big boy. He can solve his own problems._

Just as Monica was getting her axe behind her bed, a blood curling scream echoed through the Kuwabara household.

"I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!"

* * *

No, Kuwabara does not automatically win the bet because he has Yukina asked him out-things are a little more complicated than that. Next chapter will include what exactly Yusuke had meant by playing pranks... Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Kuwabara could hardly believe his luck. No, it wasn't luck. It was fate. A stroke of destiny opened Yukina's heart to him, enlightening her to his love for her. For here she was, walking right beside him with a smile on her face. Taken with the overwhelming desire to see him, Yukina traveled all the way from Genkai's temple just to declare her undying affection for him. Yukina already confessed her feelings to him! How could he lose to Hiei? What need was there to come up with a present for her, other than the desire to make her happy?

It was just too perfect. He couldn't believe it. It couldn't be true. _Somebody pinch me!_

"Kazuma-san?" Yukina's sweet voice asked.

"Yes, Yukina-san, dear?"

"If you don't mind me asking… what are you doing?"

"Eh?" Kuwabara paused in the middle of pinching and stretching out his cheek. Gasping, Kuwabara hid his hands behind his back. Ignoring his burning cheeks, Kuwabara laughed, "Nothing! Nothing at all! Ahahaha!"

Yukina's eyebrows scrunched in confusion. "Oh, okay." Turning away, Yukina continued walking forward.

After Yukina asked Kuwabara to take her out, Kuwabara immediately complied with her request. They hit the streets of Tokyo with no particular destination in mind; they were simply enjoying each other's company.

 _Come on, Kazuma! This is your first date with Yukina-san. Don't blow it by acting stupid. Think of something to say!_ "So, um, you came to my house all by yourself? That's pretty brave of you."

Yukina laughed gently, her cheeks tinted pink. "Brave? You're too kind." _I'm not brave._ Yukina thought, growing despondent. _Certainly not when compared to Kazuma-san and the others._

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Noticing that Kuwabara had stopped walking, Yukina stopped as well to turn and face him. To Yukina's surprise, Kuwabara appeared genuinely confused. "You are brave."

Biting her lip, Yukina fixated her gaze on the broken sidewalk. She continued down the path, changing the subject. "I came to Tokyo on the first train in the morning, but even with the address you gave me, it took me a while to find your house…"

"The first train?!" Kuwabara screeched. "Yukina-san, it's like four p.m.!"

Yukina laughed, but there was no mirth behind it. "Yes, it was a long time." _Brave? Stupid is more like it._

" _Yoshi_." Kuwabara pounded his chest. "As soon as I return home I'll draw you a map! I'll even draw you a map to Urameshi's apartment and Kurama's house so you can visit them whenever you want! I'll make sure to color code it and to have a map key so that you can keep track of…"

Yukina watched Kuwabara stride forward, gesticulating wildly. Propelled by an enthusiasm she didn't understand, Kuwabara threw around ideas that were more elaborate and absurd than the last. But even so a familiar sensation of warmth filled her chest. Putting a hand over her heart, Yukina felt its erratic heartbeat. _Just like that time…_

 _"Will you take me out?"_

 _Kuwabara's eyes became as wide as saucers. Struck dumb, Kuwabara could only stammer, "Y-You… me… take… out… I…"_

 _Before Yukina realized what was going on, arms scooped her up and lifted her into the air. Kuwabara shouted at the top of his lungs, "I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND!" right in Yukina's ear, making them ring. Kuwabara crushed Yukina into his chest, obscuring her vision. Smothered by Kuwabara's shirt, Yukina could barely breathe. His iron grip caused her body to throb in pain._

 _And yet something about being pressed so close to Kuwabara set her heart racing. She could feel Kuwabara's warmth radiating off of him and seeping into her ever cold body. With his arms around her, for some reason she felt safe and secure…_

Ice maidens lived in a frozen wasteland. There were as emotionless and cold as the ice that surrounded them. Warmth was an ice maiden's mortal enemy. _So why is it that every time I'm close to Kuwabara and feel his warmth, I'm happy?_

"…What do you think, Yukina-san?"

"Huh?" Yukina jerked as though she felt an electrical shock. Kuwabara was half turned to her, with an expectant expression. "I'm terribly sorry, but I didn't catch that, Kazuma-san. What did you say?"

Kuwabara smiled, "It's all right." Turning to their left, Kuwabara pointed to a lush park, filled with sweaty joggers, couples going for a leisurely stroll, and children playing on a swing set. "Do you want to stop at the park?" When Yukina hesitated, Kuwabara hastily added, "Look, there are a lot of birds in the trees and someone walking their dog!"

"Uh," frowned Yukina.

Kuwabara wanted to kick himself. _Really? It's your first date and you suggest a little walk in the park? Come on, man. You're pathetic. But,_ Kuwabara glanced at the horizon between the city's buildings. The sun was just beginning to touch the horizon. _A lot of my ideas for places to go in my journal will be closed by the time we get there. And,_ Kuwabara checked the back pocket of his jeans, then made a face. _I was so happy by Yukina-san's declaration that I left the house without my wallet!_

Seeing Kuwabara making such a disappointed face, Yukina felt a bit of her heart crumble. She relented, "Of course, Kazuma-san. I would love to go to the park with you." _…although the entire reason why I left Genkai-san's temple to visit you was to learn more about you so I could pick_ you _a present._

Kuwabara instantly perked up, a wide grin breaking out and transforming his face. "All right then! Let's go!" Holding Yukina's arm in his, Kuwabara half dragged Yukina towards the park.

"A-Ah!" Yukina cried, too short to keep up with Kuwabara.

Kuwabara, of course, continued striding forward blissfully unaware of Yukina's predicament, rambling nonsense. "First, we can go see all the birds in the area and then we can check out that dog and ask its owner what kind of breed it is and then we can search the trees for wildlife and other things like that. You never know, you might just look up and find a possum dangling down from a branch staring at you with its beady little eyes and…"

Kuwabara and Yukina walked by a person sitting on a park bench, his upper body obscured by the newspaper he was reading. As the two walked past the bench, the man lowered the paper, revealing a man with greased black hair and shades. The man tipped down a corner of his shades, baring a brown eye trained on the young couple. The man grinned, and then raised the newspaper up again.

 _Urameshi Yusuke, super delinquent, ready to begin mission..._

* * *

Yusuke could hardly believe his luck. He had been on his way to hit up the arcades when he spied Kuwabara and Yukina walking together in the crowd of people on the streets. Yusuke tailed them, his wager with Kurama leaping to his mind. From his perch on the park bench, Yusuke watched Kuwabara leading Yukina deeper into the park out of the corner of his eye. Finding them was unexpected so Yusuke didn't have time to prepare a plan, but that wouldn't deter him.

 _Hmm… how to make Kuwabara look stupid. Should be simple enough. I just can't get personally involved or I'll blow my cover._ Yusuke scanned the area, searching for something he could use. _…There!_ Across the street, Yusuke could see a band of young thugs standing over a cowering kid sitting in an alley. A very familiar sight to Yusuke. Grinning, Yusuke stood up, throwing the newspaper behind him. _Perfect!_

"So, kiddo, you got two choices." A man with a short black buzz cut menacingly cracked his fingers. A boy of ten or eleven dressed in a Western suit backed up. When his back hit the brick wall, he froze in fear.

"Either you dump everythin' in yer pockets and fork 'em over to us, or…" The large man stepped on a pair of glasses, shattering them into smithereens. "I'll clean yer clock." The four other lackeys began to laugh at the boy's terrified expression.

"Really? 'Clean yer clock'? Who says that nowadays?"

"Who said that?" The leader snarled, whipping around. His minions did nothing but shrug. "Michi!" The buzz cut man shouted, grabbing the guy standing next to him by the collar. "Was that you?"

"N-No, boss!" The scrawny, browned hair man cried, raising his hands. "It wasn't me!"

"I always knew ya were a troublemaker, but you went too far this time, you—"

"It was me."

Yusuke stepped partly out of the shadows of the alley. With his hands in his pockets, relaxed posture, and the shadows casting partly covering his face, Yusuke cut an intimidating figure. Then he grinned. The leader released his grip on his underling while the other three backed up away from Yusuke. Even the boy in the suit looked petrified.

"W-Who are you?" Buzz cut man asked, trying to keep the tremble from his voice. When Yusuke didn't answer, he gained more confidence, let go of his buddy, and approached Yusuke, getting up all in his face. "No, I don't care who ya are. I just want you out of mah turf in the next five second—"

"Shut up. You're annoying me." Yusuke causally waved a hand in dismissal, but the back of Yusuke's hand struck the man's cheek, sending him smashing into the brick wall. With a moan, the man fell unconscious. The other thugs and the victim stared at the man, slack-jawed.

"I-It's Urameshi Yusuke!" One of the guys gasped.

"Huh," Yusuke muttered aloud. "Good to know my name still strikes fear in people's hearts. Looks like people's brains have degenerated if they can't remember my face, tho'." The lackeys' knees began to tremble.

Fixing his gaze on the boy, Yusuke gruffly ordered, "Get out of here." Crying out in fear, the boy scrambled to his feet and ran out of the alley, leaving the remains of his glasses in his haste. Then Yusuke looked at the thugs.

A thin, feeble looking man dropped to his knees. "Spare our lives!"

Yusuke narrowed his eyes at him. "Michi, right?"

Michi blinked. "Y-Yes."

"What a girly name. I want you—"

Michi bowed low to the ground, crying, "I know it is, Urameshi-sama!"

"Urameshi-sama…" Yusuke said aloud, rubbing his chin while grinning. "I could get used to that."

"Yes, Urameshi-sama!" Michi screeched.

Yusuke's eyebrow twitched. "Shut up. You're annoying me."

"Yes, Urameshi-sama!"

"…"

"You, uh, wanted something, Urameshi-sama?" Another thug asked.

"Yes, I did," Yusuke exhaled. "You see that strange couple there?" Yusuke pointed to the park. In the far distance, Yusuke could make out Kuwabara's carrot top hair and Yukina's light green hair. When the others nodded, Yusuke motioned with his hand for them to come closer. Hesitantly, they obeyed. "I want you guys to approach them and…"

One thug leaned back and pounded his fist into the palm of the other hand. "Ah, I get it! That chick is your ex-girlfriend and you want to get even with that new boyfriend of hers!"

"Yukina, my girlfriend? Ha! I don't wanna be killed by Hiei! Or Keiko for that matter!"

"Then…" Frowning, the thug lowered his hands, a confused expression on his face. "Why do you care?"

"!" Struck dumb, Yusuke feel his entire body go rigid. _I… I don't know!_ Clenching his fists, Yusuke tried to contain his anger, but it was a futile effort. He shouted, "Get moving before I kick your asses!"

Yelping, the thugs ran out of the alley, chorusing, "Yes, Urameshi-sama!"

* * *

"Look, Yukina-san, there's a nice flower! I'm sure Kurama would know what kind it is, but I know it'll look really pretty in your hair!"

"But, Kazuma-san, that's a dandelion."

"Ahaha, w-well, any flower will look just fantastic on you!"

"But, Kazuma-san, dandelions aren't flowers. They're weeds…"

Suddenly, Yukina felt something shove her to the ground. "Ah!" She cried in from surprise and pain.

"What was—?!" Kuwabara growled, whipping around with his fists raised.

Four guys dressed in T-shirts and ripped jeans stood in a half circle around Kuwabara and Yukina. One browned hair man stood a bit more forward than the others; the leader. He grinned, "Whoops, I didn't see that kid there. I'm terribly sorry."

Kuwabara snarled, "Who are you to treat Yukina-san like that?!"

"I'm Michi and she," Michi nodded at Yukina lying on the ground, "must be a mentally retarded midget or something because I never saw something so scrawny and dumb looking in my life."

Yukina gazed up at the group of men, her eyes widening. "A-Ah…" she backed up slightly, her entire body trembling. Those murky, dark eyes, those sneers, the never ending laughter… When Yukina looked at those men, she didn't see some run-of-the-mill thugs.

She saw Gonzo Tarukane, her torturer.

His blood boiling, Kuwabara hissed, "How dare you."

"How dare I?" Michi repeated. He stepped closer to Kuwabara until their faces were inches apart. "Like this. That little, puke green haired, red eyed devil, trembling halfwit should crawl on the ground like the bellyaching worm she is." Michi turned his head and spat at Yukina. A fat gob of spittle traveled down her face. She didn't dare move a muscle to wipe it away. Unbidden, tears welled up in her eyes.

Reeling back a fist, Kuwabara screamed, "YOU PIECE OF—!"

Michi flinched and closed his eyes, waiting for the blow. After several seconds passed, Michi cracked open an eye. The only thing in his vision was an overshadowed fist, millimeters from his nose. "Ah!" Michi cried, backing up.

A grave expression on his face, Kuwabara slowly retracted his fist. "I, Kuwabara Kazuma, am a man. You are scum. And scum ain't even worth acknowledging, let alone punching."

"H-Huh?" Michi stammered, confused.

"If you spend even five minutes with Yukina-san, you'll see that she's an angel, not a devil. So I want to you all to apologize to her and then get lost."

"W-What?" The thugs muttered, shaking in fear.

Kuwabara grabbed Michi's collar and pulled him forward, their faces only centimeters apart. "I. Said. _Apologize_."

Michi backed away from Kuwabara, ripping the entire front of the shirt in the process. Turning tail, he ran away like a madman, followed by his other thugs.

"I'm sorry!"

"Let's get out of here!"

"Urameshi and Kuwabara in one day? How are we alive?!"

But Kuwabara didn't even listen to them. Seeing them only made his stomach churn in disgust. Turning to Yukina, Kuwabara half leaned down to her. "Are you okay, Yukina-san, my love? I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

"I-I…" Yukina murmured, shaking.

"Here," Kuwabara said with a voice as light as air. He gently wiped away the spit from her face. Yukina closed her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat. Unconsciously, she leaned into his touch. Kuwabara, seeing Yukina's actions, smiled, but there was a mountain of sadness behind it. He extended a hand to her. After a moment of hesitation, Yukina accepted the hand and Kuwabara helped her stand.

"Yukina-san," Kuwabara said quietly, "you're beautiful, intelligent, and the kindest person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. So don't you do anything silly like believe a word those creeps said, ya hear?"

Yukina, still recovering, pressed a hand to her mouth. Her eyes looked glassy and empty like a doll.

His heart breaking, Kuwabara whispered, "Yukina-san, I—"

A burst of applause surrounded them. Surprised, Kuwabara and Yukina jerked around to see that all the people visiting the park were facing towards them, clapping, and with giant smiles on their faces.

"Ahaha…" Kuwabara weakly laughed, putting a hand behind his head. "You saw all that, huh?" Murmurs of "such a gentleman" and "that'll teach 'em" reached their ears. Someone whistled and whooped. When Yukina's eyes happened to meet an elderly woman's gaze, she nodded at her, proud. Yukina blushed all the way to her toes.

Noticing how uncomfortable Yukina was, Kuwabara lightly placed a hand on Yukina's shoulder to get her attention. "I know you wanted me to take you out somewhere, but it's getting late and you must be tired from searching for my house for so long. Why don't we go back to my place and you can eat dinner with my folks? I'll make you anything you want, I promise."

Numbly, Yukina nodded.

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders to shield her, Kuwabara began to lead Yukina out of the park.

"Kazuma-san…" A quiet, hoarse voice said.

Removing his arm, Kuwabara stepped back to look at Yukina's face and asked, "Yes, Yukina-san?"

Yukina gazed up at Kuwabara. The wind teased her long, sea foam green hair, blowing it around her face. Her face was flushed and her eyes shinned with tears, but Kuwabara witnessed the birth of the biggest smiles on Yukina's face.

"Thank you… t-thank you…" she breathed, choking a bit.

Kuwabara exhaled a small laugh. Then he returned to her side and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Yukina leaned into him, prompting a smile of his own. With the sun setting behind them, the two of them walked forward together, heading towards home.

"No thanks needed."

* * *

His eye and fingers twitching, Yusuke watched Kuwabara and Yukina leave the park, opened mouthed. "I can't believe… It was going so well. I mean, sure, they were a lot meaner than I thought they would be, but that shoulda ensured my plan all the more. After all, they were supposed to, Kuwabara was supposed to punch the guy and show Yukina how much of a brute he is… wha… I…" Yusuke threw his arms into the air and screamed to the heavens.

"DAMN IIIIIIIT!"

* * *

Up next is Kurama's attempt to sabotage Hiei as he searches for his present. Stay tuned!


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

"The mall?!" Botan gasped, pounding her hands on the table.

Kurama nodded. "Yes, that's what he said."

Botan dipped her head and narrowed her eyes at her red headed companion. "Really."

Amused, Kurama smiled, "Really. Hiei told me his present for Yukina-san was most easily obtained in the Human Realm and then alluded to shopping. So…" Kurama spread his arms wide, gesturing to the area surrounding them. The two of them sat at a table for two at a McDonald's located within one of the biggest shopping centers in Tokyo. "Here we are."

When Kurama invited her out to lunch, Botan hadn't known why. However, hearing about how this outing was related to Hiei… perhaps she should have expected there was an ulterior motive behind Kurama's invitation. Knowing he had been a thief when he lived in the Demon Realm, Botan wasn't surprised. Not surprised but… Botan cast her gaze down at the half eaten cheeseburger on her plate. "Oh," she deadpanned.

Kurama paused, gauging Botan's expression. Was she disappointed? Kurama tried to suppress a grin. _Then maybe she really does…_ His internal thoughts faded when he witnessed Botan absentmindedly play with her French fries. Guilt accumulating in his heart, Kurama whispered, "Botan—"

"Do you see that there?" Botan hurriedly asked. She pointed with a French fry at the window to their right. The large glass window, while some distance away from Kurama and Botan, allowed them to see the storefront of the shop located across the hall. "In eleven days it'll be December, so Christmas is right around the corner. Pretty soon all the streets will be decorated and the stores will be having Santa-san greet the children. Massive trees at squares will be lit up in red and green and gold. People lay aside their differences, in the interest of spreading happiness."

Noting the faraway look in Botan's eyes, Kurama smiled, "You like Christmas, don't you?"

"Yup!" Botan beamed at Kurama. "It's one of my favorite holidays of the Human Realm."

"Oh, so you don't celebrate Christmas?"

Botan shook her head. "Nope. The Spirit Realm has its own customs and holidays."

Botan's answer should have been obvious to Kurama, but honestly he hadn't thought about it before. She had spent so much time with himself, Yusuke, and the others that Kurama hadn't taken the time to ponder what her life was like in Spirit Realm, other than her job ferrying souls. "What kind of cust—?" Frowning, Kurama tilted his head to the side, concentrating.

Her chest tightening, Botan leaned forward. "What's wrong?"

After a moment, Kurama grinned. "Hiei's here."

"Wait, what? You mean, you're helping him get the present today? Like right now?!"

"Actually…" Kurama's eyes strayed to a clock on the wall. "I was supposed to meet him 45 minutes ago, but I chose to have lunch with you instead." Smiling, Kurama slathered a couple of fries in ketchup and popped them into his mouth.

Botan could only gape in horror. "You, you made him wait?" Kurama nodded, not a trace of remorse in his face. "But he's going to be so mad!"

"Oh, no, he's not mad. He's absolutely furious. Why, I wouldn't be surprised if—"

In a blur of movement, Hiei appeared beside their table, glaring at Kurama. "You…"

Kurama didn't even look up from his meal. "Did you enjoy your interactions with humans in your pursuit to locate me?"

Venom dribbling off his words, Hiei hissed, "Do you have a death wish?"

"Now, now, how can you expect to obtain a present from the _Human_ Realm if you can't interact properly with _humans_?"

"Since you're such a great communicator," Hiei snarled, "explain this." Hiei kicked Kurama's and Botan's table, causing their food to fly and the dishes to smash. Startled, everyone stared at Kurama and Botan and the gigantic mess that lay on the floor.

Getting up from his chair, Kurama turned to face the fire demon. "Hiei, you!"

But Hiei was gone.

* * *

Annoyed, Kurama strode towards Hiei, who was waiting outside the McDonald's, with Botan lagging behind him. "Because of you, I had to pay for both of our meals and all the dishes you broke. Botan-san was really looking forward to eating something atypical."

Hiei snorted, "That's what you get for acting chivalrous on your date."

Kurama and Botan both blushed scarlet, giving Hiei no end of satisfaction. And to finish it off… Hiei nodded at Kurama. "You have mustard down your front." His composure lost, Kurama scrambled to wipe it away. Hiei inwardly snickered. _Such a fool._

Sighing, Kurama gave up riding himself of the yellow stain on his pale green shirt. To Hiei, he began, "What do you—?"

Jabbing his thumb backwards at Botan, Hiei asked, "What is she doing here?"

Kurama blinked at Hiei and didn't answer. When Hiei repeated his question, Kurama stated, "Of course she's here."

His temper fouled enough already, Hiei growled, "What do you mean 'of course she's here'? Are the two of your inseparable now? That wherever one goes the other follows and the both of you always—"

Leaning in close to Hiei's face, Kurama asked, "Do you really want the two of us, two males, to go through _that_ section of the mall without a female in our party?"

"I don't want that ferry girl to know—"

Kurama crossed his arms. "Think about it."

Steamed, Hiei paused and mulled the situation over, getting an image in his mind. Then he scoffed, "I always knew you were a bit perverted, but don't drag me into it—"

"No, not me, Hiei! The other shoppers will think that!"

"Hn." Hiei, abruptly turned away from Kurama, stuck his hands in his pockets, and walked deeper into the mall. "Fine. She can accompany us. But she breathes a word of this to anyone, I'll personally ensure that she'll never speak again. The last thing I need is for the idiot to learn what I'm getting for—"

"Hiei."

Barely able to keep his temper in check, Hiei whipped around. "What now?!"

Kurama pointed a finger in the opposite direction of Hiei. "We need to go this way." Behind him, Botan shook her head.

Hiei paused. Fuming, Hiei marched down the right path, muttering obscenities.

Watching the exchange between the two men, Botan could only sigh. _This is going to be one really long day._

* * *

"So…" Raising an eyebrow, Botan ran a hand through a clothing rack at the mall. "Hiei wants to get Yukina-chan a kimono?"

Turning around, Kurama saw the confused expression on Botan's face. Before answering, Kurama glanced over his shoulder at Hiei, who plowed ahead through the racks of kimonos on display. "When I finally forced Hiei to confess what the present was, that's what he admitted."

 _Oh_ , Botan thought, frowning. _So the only reason I'm here is to prevent the two of them from looking awkward as they search for a woman's kimono._ Kurama had told her during their lunch that she had been invited to the mall because of Hiei, but even though, Botan had at least hoped they needed her for her skills or talents or something. In fact, judging by the fact Hiei hadn't asked Botan for advice on the kimonos, she wasn't even here to offer her opinion as a woman! Botan swallowed back her disappointment and frustration.

 _But I suppose it's just as well. If I picked out a gift that was too good, Hiei would win the bet, and Kuwa-chan would never see Yukina-chan again. That would break both of their hearts. But if Kuwa-chan beat Hiei, then Hiei would have to tell Kuwa-cahn that he's Yukina's sister! Kuwa-chan would either try to kill Hiei or die from shock. And the chances of Yukina-chan learning Hiei's identity would skyrocket. I want Hiei to confess his secret, too, but he should tell her on his own terms. What to do?_

Shaking her head, Botan refocused on her surroundings. She lifted a purple kimono of the rack, and pressed it to herself, checking the size. It was a bit too long for her. "But why a kimono? That's not a very earthshattering idea."

Kurama shrugged. "Agreed. But knowing how much is on the line, I'm sure Hiei has something in mind."

Botan nodded and then returned the kimono to the rack. Hearing the clinking noise of the metal hanger against the rack, Hiei whirled around. "What was that?" Spying a surprised Botan by the rack, Hiei marched towards her. "Move," he ordered. Botan sidestepped. Too short to reach for the hanger, Hiei ripped the kimono off the hanger and studied in his hands. After a moment he threw it to the ground, turned around, and continued walking deeper into the clothing section, making sure to step on the kimono first. "Too stupid."

Kurama and Botan thought at the same time, _It's not even her size._

Together the two watched Hiei forward, passing by various racks. He paused here and there to pick a kimono and then, unsatisfied, throw them to the ground. "Too cutesy. Too gaudy. Too flashy. Too ugly…"

Kurama and Botan shared a look. Then they sighed.

* * *

"My feet hurt."

"I'm sick of picking up after Hiei's messes."

"I'm fed up with Hiei ordering me around."

"I'm tired of Hiei always coming to me with his problems."

"Men and women both wear kimonos. So why am I even here?"

Tense, Kurama sidelong glanced at Botan for a long moment before returning his gaze forward. "I'm hungry."

"I wanted to finish my cheeseburger."

"I could be finishing my homework."

"I didn't want to spend my day off like this."

For the second time, Kurama glanced at Botan standing beside him, wondering what she meant. _Did she not want to help Hiei find a present for Yukina-san or… did she not want to spend time with me?_ Did it really matter? Either way, Kurama had rudely dragged her into his and Hiei's problems without her consent. Pushing off the wall he had been leaning on, Kurama started forward. _Very well. It's time I ended this._

Confused, Botan uncrossed her arms and straightened. "Where are you going?"

Kurama didn't answer. Instead he walked forward until he was standing behind Hiei. In his hands Hiei held a blue and green kimono with a purple sash. The blue and green melted into each other, giving it a strange glow in the light. He had been looking at the kimono for the past five minutes.

"Hiei."

His eyes contemplating, Hiei turned the kimono over in his hands.

"We've been here for hours, Hiei."

Mildly surprised, Hiei glanced up at Kurama and then out towards the mall. The sun's dying rays shimmered through the large windows. A clock on the wall showed 4:31. Grunting, Hiei returned his gaze back to the kimono. "If you need to return to your dwelling place, then go. But tell me other places I can get a kimono first."

Exasperated, Kurama asked, "And just how are you going to pay for your purchase? You're going to exhort me for my money, that's what. And I refuse to go on another wild goose chase."

Hiei shrugged, "So I'll steal it."

Kurama crossed his arms. "And have Koenma-sama put you on probation again?"

"For a little theft? You've got to be joking."

"Any crime, Hiei, any crime." Hiei growled in annoyance, making a face. Exhaling, Kurama reasoned, "Look, you only have days to get Yukina-san a present."

"I have nine days, twenty one hours, and 29 minutes until I have to give Yukina her present."

Kurama blinked. _Why does—?_

"Nine days, twenty one hours, and 29 minutes until I see that stupid moron cry." Hiei grinned. "I can't wait."

 _…I should have known._ Kurama sighed. Turning his gaze to the side, Kurama said, "Well, unless you enjoy loitering in the children's section of clothes, I would suggest you hurry."

"What?!" Hiei cried, whipping towards Kurama.

The kitsune pointed a thumb to the side where a little girl was picking out a rainbow T-shirt. "Look, mommy! Isn't this cute?"

Her mother laughed, "It sure is, sweetheart." Rubbing the top of her head, the mother smiled, "It sure is."

Hiei's eye twitched. Snarling, Hiei demanded, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Because the larger children sizes are the most likely to fit Yukina-san."

"Yukina's not a child," Hiei glowered.

"Yes, but women's clothes won't fit her because she doesn't have a womanly bod—" Kurama clamped his mouth shut just in time. Visions of him being skewered by Hiei's sword and left bleeding on the ground came to mind.

Thankfully, Hiei hadn't been paying attention; he was too preoccupied with the pigtailed girl from earlier. She pointed him out to her mother. "Momma, look! That kid is really weird. What's he doing here?"

"I'm not a kid," hissed Hiei, reaching for the sword hilt hidden behind his black cloak. _Say good-bye to your mother, brat._

Kurama jumped in between Hiei and the girl and her mother, blocking the two from Hiei's view. "Hiei, I'm not visiting another store with you. We've searched every clothing section of all the stores in the biggest mall in Tokyo. So this is it. Either it's this kimono…" Kurama said, grabbing the kimono and successfully diverting Hiei's attention away from the child. "Or it's nothing at all. Unless, of course, you want to get Yukina-san another gift?"

Hiei opened his mouth to yell at Kurama for touching the kimono when Kurama's words stopped him. Frowning, Hiei gazed down at the kimono gripped between them. _This is the closest to what I'm looking for…_

Kurama studied Hiei's expression, reading the hesitation in his red eyes. _Just as I thought. There_ is _a special significance behind buying a kimono._

"If you're not pursuing a different option, then you must ensure that kimono will fit her."

Hiei yanked the kimono out of Kurama's hand and held it up in the air. It seemed to the right length, but all clothes fit differently when actually worn. Knowing this, Hiei exhaled, frustrated. _This is taking far too long._

"There's only one way to guarantee that the kimono will fit Yukina-san."

Listening, Hiei glanced up at Kurama.

"You try it on in a changing station."

" _Bakana_! I'm not wearing a girl's clothes!"

"Think about it, Hiei," Kurama insisted, leaning in closer to Hiei. "It's the only course of action that makes sense. Just imagine how upset Yukina-san will be if you got her a gift that she couldn't accept."

 _Well…_ Hiei thought.

"If it's too big, it'll be an insult to her height. You might as well be calling her a child to her face. If it's too small, it'll be tight—"

Hiei fisted the kimono, growling, "And I'll kill that carrot topped bastard for looking!"

 _…No comment._ Turning serious, he asked, "Do you want to lose to Kuwabara-kun?"

Hiei, still furious at the thought of Kuwabara looking at Yukina, thought, _It'll be a cold day in hell before I lose to that piece of filth._ Hiei glanced at the balled up kimono in his hand. _But… wear a woman's clothing? The clothing of a child?_

Kurama said quietly, "Hiei… this is for Yukina-san's happiness."

Hiei stared at the kimono. Then he made a decision.

Seeing the change in Hiei's demeanor, Kurama had to swallow a grin. _Yes, I can't believe—_ Kurama just happened to blink and in that instant, Hiei and the kimono had vanished. Wheeling around, Kurama thought, _Where did he—?_ Not seeing him anywhere, Kurama ran back to Botan. She was leaning against a wall with accessories were on display, the same location Kurama and Botan had been previously. Her arms crossed, she drummed her fingers against her arm, meeting with Kurama with narrowed eyes.

Kurama flashed her a smile, a weak nonverbal apology for making her wait. "Have you seen Hiei?"

Botan drummed her fingers for a long moment. "No."

 _Oh boy. Maybe I should have been keeping an eye on her instead of Hiei._ Kurama sighed, biting back a wave of disappointment. _Looks like he fled. Damn, getting Hiei to wear a little girl's kimono would have beaten whatever Yusuke could have thought of for Kuwabara-kun. And it would have been hilarious—_

"Watch out!" Botan cried, stepping forward.

Confused, Kurama turned around just in time for something to slam into his face. Kurama heard a sickening crack followed by a sudden, blinding pain. The force of whatever hit him, knocked him flat on his bottom.

"Are you all right?" Botan rushed to Kurama's side and kneeling down.

A hand covering his face, Kurama answered, "I'm all right, but…" he removed his hand and blood spurted from his nose. "I think my nose is broken."

"Here," Botan said, extending a hand towards Kurama's nose. "Let me heal—"

"What _was_ that?" Kurama looked beyond Botan to see something the size of a basketball roll on the ground until it hit a wall. It was a decapitated head of a store mannequin. With a bloody neck, its soulless eyes stared right at Kurama.

A woman's shrill voice cried, "Sir! There they are!"

Kurama and Botan looked up to see the mother talking to a security guard while pointing at them. "They have a knife or a sword on them! I saw it! They just went berserk and cut that mannequin!"

The beefy security guard reached for his hostler. "Oh, did they…?"

The pigtailed daughter held up the shredded remains of a T-shirt and bawled, "They ruined my rainbow shiiiirt!"

"They attacked a little girl?!"

"Wait, _matte_!" Kurama raised a hand. He stood up and began to walk towards the officer. "I can explain—"

"Don't move!" The officer shouted, gaining the attention of all the shoppers in a 50 meter radius. He whipped out a gun and pointed at them. "Hands in the air! Now!"

"K-Kurama-kun…" Botan stammered, backing up slightly.

"D… Do as he says, Botan-san," Kurama whispered out of the corner of his mouth. "I'll think of something."

"…this is Officer Koguchi in sector five, I have two individuals suspected of carrying unidentified weapons and using them on merchandise. Requesting backup…"

A speaker crackled, "Roger that. I see you. I'm heading your way now." In the distance, Kurama and Botan could make out several officers heading towards them, weapons in hand.

"Kurama-kun." Botan said more urgently.

"I'm thinking!" Kurama hissed under his breath, a bit harsher than he intended. _All right, Kurama, how do we rectify this misunderstanding without causing more of a ruckus—?_

"That's them! Those are the thugs who ruined my restaurant!"

Everyone turned their heads to see a man wearing a McDonald's uniform frantically waving his hand and pointing at Kurama and Botan. "They destroyed my restaurant! I'm gonna kill 'em!"

"What are you talking about?!" The words burst out of Botan before she could stop them. "Kurama-kun _paid_ for everything that Hiei destroyed! And I'm sure you may him pay far more than it was worth!"

"Botan-san, no—"

"They admit it! They admit they did it!"

The officer in front of them stepped forward, his finger on the trigger. "Oops," Botan muttered.

 _Fantastic. Now how are we going to get out of this? I would prefer to not use a demon plant, but that's seeming less and less likely with every passing sec—_ Out of the corner of his eye, Kurama saw a bit a black. He froze in horror. _No. Please, no._

Hiei stood on a tall shelf, the blue and green kimono from earlier in his hand. Unisex or not, Hiei was _not_ wearing something intended for his sister. And that was a message he wanted to make loud and clear. As for the crafty kitsune who planned to humiliate him… Hiei had a present of his own. A wicked grin on his face, he raised the kimono to a ceiling smoke detector.

Stepping forward, Kurama cried, "Hiei, don't—!"

Fire bursting from his palm, Hiei set the kimono on fire. Loud, blaring sirens pierced throughout the store. A moment later, the store, the merchandise, and the customers became soaked in a relentless downpour. Screams throughout the store were heard. The officer stopped and turned to look behind them, searching for the source of the commotion.

Kurama took a step backward. "Kurama-kun," Botan asked, frightened, "What do we do?"

"Unless you enjoy the idea of being arrested…" Kurama took Botan's arm and dragged her deeper into the mall. "We run!" Pouring on the speed, the two fled through the mall's departments.

"Hey!" The officer snarled. "After them!"

* * *

Minamino Shiori was washing dishes in the kitchen when she heard the front door opening. "Shuichi? Is that you?"

"…Yes, mother."

As she stepped out of the kitchen, Shiori asked, "How was shopping with your friends?" To her surprise, Kurama looked completely soaked and traces of blood were on his face.

His voice dripping with sarcasm, Kurama muttered, "Fun."

He stomped up the stairs and slammed his bedroom door closed.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Grumbling and muttering to himself, Yusuke trudged down the streets in his neighborhood, his hands shoved into his pockets. "I don't want to go to school tomorrow. It's so boring. I don't want to go home to do my stupid homework but I know Keiko is going to ask if I did it tomorrow—if I actually go to school, that is—and then she'll be pissed at me when I say no. She's been really pissy even since that comment I made about how bad her cooking is at Genaki-baa-san's place and don't know why. It's true. I mean, there are some dishes she makes that are all right and others that aren't. It's a fact. In fact, I should go in there and tell her that to her face and then maybe she'll get off my—"

Yusuke blinked. _Go in there and tell her?_ Yusuke backpedaled to a store window and pressed his face to the glass. There was Keiko sitting at a table for two at a large, swanky restaurant. And sitting in the chair across from her was a board shouldered, young waiter with chiseled features laughing with Keiko. Furious, he pounded the glass, startling the people sitting at the booths by the windows. They looked up to see a pig-nosed boy glued to the glass, grinding his teeth.

Yusuke's blood boiled. _How dare he? How dare he flirt with_ my _fiancé?!_

Without a second thought, Yusuke burst into the restaurant like a whirlwind. Brushing by the seating hostess and the other servers, Yusuke charged over to Keiko's table.

Stunned, Keiko stammered, "Y-Yusuke! What are you doing here?"

Not seeing the waiter, Yusuke's head whipped to the left and right, searching for him. "Where is he? Where is that bastard? When I get my hands on him, I'll show him what real pain feels like!"

"Yusuke, Yusuke!" Keiko cried, standing up. She gently touched his arm. "Yusuke, please, you're making a scene."

Yusuke calmed down a bit enough to scan the other customers. They were all staring at him in fear, expecting him to start fighting someone—a distinct possibility. Then Yusuke glanced at Keiko's warm brown eyes pleading at him. Cursing the waiter under his breath, Yusuke sat down where the server previously reclined. He put his brown handbag that was his schoolbag on the ground next to his seat.

Gratefully smiling at Yusuke, Keiko sat down across from him. "I certainly didn't expect to see you here. I thought you told me you were going home to do your homework." _Not that I mind that you're here,_ Keiko added mentally.

Yusuke sighed. _Always nagging._ "What are you doing here, Keiko?"

"Me?" Keiko said calmly, picking up a menu in her hand. "I'm here to check out the competition."

Yusuke's heart stopped. _The… competition?! She, she said it right to my face!_ "How, what, why?!"

"Why?" Keiko repeated, slightly confused. Then she narrowed her eyes at Yusuke. "Because of you and your rude remarks about my cooking, that's why."

"Yeah, but, Keiko, we always get on each other's nerves and say whatever comes mind. It doesn't mean that—"

"No," Keiko replied firmly, gritting her teeth. " _You_ always get on my nerves and say whatever comes to your mind."

All right, Yusuke couldn't contest that. But… "Why would you go to someone other than me?" Yusuke knew that Keiko had always threatened to leave him, but she always came back.

Keiko moved her head slightly to the side and raised an eyebrow. "Becauuuse I know what you're like." _Geez, what's been getting into him, lately?_ Keiko thought.

Yusuke's jaw hit the table. Then fury enraging him, Yusuke jumped out of his seat. "What does that mean?! I'm old news? I'm too old and boring for you?"

Getting exasperated, Keiko answered, "I don't know about getting old, but yes, I've been with you a ton of times so I know everything about you."

 _W-W-What?_ Yusuke blushed deeply, his face stained red and purple. He knew that while he was dead and a ghost he had visited Keiko while she slept, and she cared for his comatose body, but… Yusuke never actually did anything to her. _What is she…? So is she…? I didn't do anything! I look at dirty girlie mags, and sure, I may touch her sometimes, but I never… I never…_ Before he could stop himself, Yusuke cried, "What did you _do_ to me?!"

"What are you talking about?" Keiko cried.

Yusuke blinked. "What? What do you mean?"

Standing up herself, Keiko threw a napkin down at the table. "What do you mean 'what do you mean'? What do _you_ mean?"

"You're cheating on me!"

"What?"

"You're cheating on me!"

"What?" Keiko shouted. Grabbing Yusuke's shoulder, Keiko pulled Yusuke closer until they could feel each other's breath on their faces. Yusuke could see her eyes burned, whether with tears or anger, Yusuke couldn't tell. "Yusuke, I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm here at this restaurant to check out their food. The Yukimura diner my family runs hasn't been doing too well lately because this new place has been stealing our customers."

Yusuke put a hand to his chest and breathed heavily. "Oh… Oh… so that's… oh, that's so much better than what I was thinking…"

Keiko tilted her head, down, becoming closer to Yusuke. She stared directly into Yusuke's eyes through her bangs. "What were you thinking?"

Yusuke blushed deeper. "Ah… ha, ha… ha. Nothing. Nothing at all."

Suspicious, Keiko narrowed her eyes. "Hmm…" Then she sat down, muttering to herself.

"What?" Yusuke asked, sitting down himself. "What did you say?" Sure, he felt an unmeasurable amount of relief upon hearing the truth, but Keiko couldn't just say something in this situation without Yusuke knowing what it was.

Keiko sighed, and looked away, her cheeks still a bit red. "I said, 'I don't know what got that stupid idea in your head, but why would I cheat on you when I'm dating a hero?'"

"Keiko…" Yusuke murmured, touched. All of his misplaced doubts slipped away. Then Yusuke narrowed his eyes at Keiko, suspicious. "Hmm…" _…is that really a good thing in this context?_

"What?" Keiko asked.

"What?"

"Oh my god," Keiko exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. Making a noise of irritation, Keiko pulled back the sleeve of her pink sweater to look at her watch. "Where is he?"

"So you ARE cheating—!"

"Don't. You. Dare." Yusuke shut up. Exhaling deeply, Keiko began, "I'm supposed to be meeting Kuwabara—"

"Ew, you're going out with Kuwabara?!"

Keiko threw the pepper shaker at Yusuke. "Gah!" Pepper flew all over his leather jacket, white shirt, and jeans.

After pausing to calm herself down, Keiko said, "I'm supposed to meet Kuwabara-kun so we can try out as many different items on the menu and compare them to the Yukimura diner. I didn't ask you, because I know what your ramen tastes like, so I could guess what you were going to say about this restaurant's food."

 _Aaaahhh…_ Yusuke thought, nodding to himself. _That explains all the 'I know you' comments._ "Wait, hold on a second. Isn't it because I own a ramen stand that you would want me to come along with you? I know how good food should taste."

Keiko looked down at her hands in her laps, her eyes swimming with unshed tears. "You, you insulted my cooking when my family restaurant is counting on me…"

Great. Now Yusuke felt like an ass. "Come on, Keiko. You know that your parents' place is the best around! Tell you what, I got a great idea to help you guys out."

Keiko looked up, a bright smile on her face. Hope surged within her chest as she asked, "What?"

Yusuke leaned forward, resting an elbow on the table. Pointing to a waitress, Yusuke said, "You see her there? I bet this new place is getting all their customers because of how sexy their serving uniforms are. So if you wear an apron and a cute miniskirt—"

"That's it!" Keiko shot up from her chair, causing it to clatter to the ground. She threw her purse at Yusuke's face. Storming off towards the bathrooms in the back, Keiko cried over her shoulder, "I've had enough of you!"

Surprised, Yusuke almost missed catching the purse before it hit him. Upon lowering it, he saw Keiko walking away from him, wiping her eyes. "Aw, Keiko!" Yusuke called after her, not even getting up from his chair. "What did I do?" Silence.

"Does this mean I'm dumped?"

* * *

Kuwabara pushed out the door of a restaurant in his neighborhood. _I not sure but I think this is the place I'm supposed to meet Yukimura—_

"Hello, sir and welcome!"

Kuwabara turned to see a young seating hostess smiling at him from behind a podium. Noting her fancy maroon uniform, Kuwabara shuffled his feet, feeling uncomfortable in his simple long sleeve shirt and black slacks.

"How many are in your party?"

"Ah, actually, I'm supposed to be meeting someone. I'm pretty late so they might be here already. Do you know—?"

"That's it!"

Kuwabara looked beyond the waitress just in time to see Keiko throw her purse at Yusuke's face. "I've had enough of you!" Rubbing her eyes with a hand, Keiko stormed off deeper into the restaurant.

"Aw, Keiko!" Yusuke called after her. "What did I do?" Silence. "Does this mean I'm dumped?"

The waitress regarded Kuwabara with suspicious eyes as though she was asking, _You're not with them, are you?_

"…the person I'm meeting isn't here yet, so if you could get me a table in the back, I would really appreciate it," Kuwabara answered.

The hostess smiled warmly again, grabbed a menu, and said, "Follow me."

The restaurant was smaller than Kuwabara expected for being fairly fancy. The waitressed dressed in pristine black blouses and skirts, covered by an apron, while the men were decked in suits. Majestic paintings of Mt. Fuji and other landscapes decorated the mauve walls, giving the restaurant a regal air.

"Here, you go," the seating hostess said, gesturing to a table in the back corner, as Kuwabara had asked. Kuwabara nodded his thanks and she left after informing him a server would be with him shortly. Sitting down, he examined his surroundings. To Kuwabara's right was the kitchen, where Kuwabara could peer into a doorway and see the chefs slaving over ovens. If Kuwabara stood up slightly, he could see Yusuke's end of the table at the front of the restaurant.

After the seating hostess left, Kuwabara could only shake his head. _Urameshi is being a dumbass to Yukimura like usual. Geez, it's so hard to believe they love each other sometimes._ Kuwabara placed an elbow on the table, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. His eyes going distant, Kuwabara exhaled. _Unlike me and Yukina-san…_

It had been six days since Kuwabara and Yukina visited the park. After that particular fiasco, Kuwabara had brought Yukina to his house like he promised. Upon seeing Yukina still had a saddened face, Shizuru immediately took the ice demon under her wing and tried to cheer her up in her own way. Over dinner, Yukina's disposition transformed: she smiled, she laughed, and she told stories of Genkai's failing memory. The sight of her fitting into the Kuwabara household was an image that Kuwabara would carry to his grave. _That_ , Kuwabara told himself, _that's what the goal at the end of the road is. And with Yukina-san and I dating that goal is finally no longer a fantasy._

So why did Kuwabara feel a sense of foreboding?

 _I'm probably just feeling tense because of that shrimp. He probably won't react well to the news of us going out._ Kuwabara snorted. _And while he's wasting his time chasing down a present to win a meaningless bet, afraid that he'll have to tell me his secrets, I already won what really matters. Yukina-san's affection. And if he doesn't like it, too bad. Because no one but me can appreciate her true angelic beauty and her radiance that shines like the pure white uniform she's wearing…_

Kuwabara blinked. _The pure white uniform she's wearing?_ Kuwabara looked over to his left into the kitchen. _There!_

In the kitchen, Kuwabara spied the upper half of Yukina's body as she placed a plate of food onto a counter before disappearing out of his sight. Without hesitation, Kuwabara jumped up from the table and entered the kitchen. Chefs and servers glanced up at Kuwabara in surprise and disbelief. Kuwabara barreled past them, heading towards a young woman cooking on a stove, oblivious to the intrusion.

"Yukina-san! What are you doing here?"

Surprised, Yukina turned around, a ladle in her hand. A too large chef hat sat adorably crooked on her head. Upon seeing it was Kuwabara, Yukina smiled warmly. "Kazuma-san! What a surprise! How are you?"

"Oh, I'm good—no, never mind that! Yukina-san, why are you cooking at a restaurant?"

"O-Oh, well…" Yukina glanced towards the side, suddenly uncomfortable with maintaining eye contact. "I just needed to get some money for uh, something. So I thought I would cook. Genkai-san has been teaching me this world's dishes!"

"Yeah, but, why not work at Yukimura's place? This is her family's competitor—"

"Hey! What are you doing here?"

Kuwabara and Yukina turned to see a potbelly red-faced man dressed in a white cooking uniform approaching them, a shaking fist raised in the air. "Wait for your orders outside!"

 _So rude. I don't know how this place is doing better than Yukimura's diner_ , Kuwabara thought with a frown. "For your information, tubby, I haven't ordered anything yet."

"I don't care!" The man forcibly turned Kuwabara towards the exit and pushed him. "Get out of the kitchen now, or we'll throw you out!"

"You haven't ordered yet—Kazuma-san! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Kuwabara raised a hand over his shoulder. As he left the kitchen he called behind him, "I'll take the special, whatever it is."

Yukina smiled and waved at him. "I'll be out with it soon!"

Kuwabara paused by the entrance of the kitchen, soaking in the image of Yukina's rosy cheeks and sweet smile. A server carrying a tray full of food squeezed by Kuwabara, glaring at him, but the street brawler didn't pay him any attention. As he stared at Yukina, the red faced chef from earlier wheeled onto Yukina.

"You! You good for nothing new girl! Get back to work right now or else I'll throw you out on the street without your pay!"

Bowing deeply, Yukina profusely apologized, "I'm sorry, sir! I'll get back to cooking right away!"

His blood boiling, Kuwabara had to restrain himself from barging in the kitchen again and set that man straight. But that would only make matters worse for Yukina. Kuwabara sighed, a pang of regret running through his heart. _Yukina-san goes through so much shit and she just takes it in… It's not right._ Cursing his helplessness, Kuwabara returned to his seat.

As promised, several minutes later Yukina emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of food on a serving tray. "Here you go," she said as she placed the food on the table.

"Why, thank you, Yukina—what is this?!"

Yukina beamed, obviously quite proud of herself. "You asked for something special so I made something that I used to eat while I lived in the Demon Realm. Of course, I didn't have any of the ingredients here with me so I did my best to adapt. What do you think?"

Kuwabara poked at the gelatinous white goop on the plate. Chucks of red, blue, and black floated within the goo. It was covered with what looked and smelled like ranch dressing and surrounded by lettuce and rice. "Eeeeuugh… I-I mean, I think it looks really good, Yukina-san."

"Really? You think so?" Yukina cried, clapping her hands. "Oh, I'm so happy!"

Kuwabara forced a smile on his face. _Maybe I really should eat a bite…_ He glanced at the plate. Two black chunks within the goop turned, making it appear that the white Jell-O was staring back at him. _…if I want indigestion for a week._

"Oh, here." Yukina offered a pair of new chopsticks from her apron. "You eat them with these!"

Kuwabara stared at the chopsticks, baffled. _How?!_

Waving the chopsticks aside, Kuwabara turned serious. "Yukina-san, I…"

"Kazuma-san, I…"

The two stared at each other, surprised. Then they chuckled. Kuwabara raised a hand and nodded at Yukina. "You first."

"Oh, I just wanted to thank you again for saving me. Every day since then, I think about you—eep!" Mortified, Yukina covered her nose and mouth with the serving tray, which failed to mask her burning cheeks. Confused by her actions, Yukina thought, _Why is admitting that I think about Kazuma-san embarrassing?_

"Actually," Kuwabara happily cried, "that's exactly what I was going to talk about!" Turning serious, Kuwabara stared deeply into Yukina's red eyes. "Yukina-san, I just wanted to make sure that you don't believe those goons' words. You really are smart, kind person."

Yukina smiled, her heart melting. _He's too kind; he really is. But…_

In Yukina's head, Tarukane, her torturer whispered, _"You are not a person, but a thing. A freak of nature."_

 _That's what I really am_ , Yukina thought, swallowing hard.

"Anyway, we're dating now so that means anywhere ya want to go…" Kuwabara raised a fist in the air and flexed his bicep. "I'll be there to protect ya, you know? So that'll never happen to you ever again."

"'Dating'?" Yukina blinked. "What's that?"

Kuwabara blinked as well. "You know, dating."

"No, I'm sorry, but I don't know."

Horror creeping in his eyes, Kuwabara lowered his arm slightly. "You know, dating. Like going out. You asking me to take you out."

Seeing how upset Kuwabara was, Yukina felt her stomach churn. "Yes, I asked you to take me out because I wanted to go somewhere with you." Although it twisted her insides, Yukina forced out, "Was that… wrong?"

His arm falling to his side, Kuwabara stared at the table, crushed. If Yukina wasn't mistaken, his eyes appeared a mite shinier than before. He mumbled, "No… I was wrong. I guess I can't make you happy."

 _Huh? What is he talking about? I don't understand._ Before Yukina could ask, a belligerent voice from the kitchen bellowed,

"New girl! Are you out there talking with that boy again instead of working? That's it! You're fired!"

Crying out in alarm, Yukina dashed back into the kitchen. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I'll get back to work this minute!"

"Didn't you hear me? I said you're fired!"

His insides tearing up, Kuwabara stared mindlessly in front of him. _I was the one who misunderstood. Yes, I'm the one who took advantage of her naïve innocence by presuming what she wanted, what she felt. I'm no better than all those guys who yell at her. I guess…_ Kuwabara gripped his jeans. He whispered, "I don't understand her all."

 _And while I'm here, making up things, that pipsqueak is out there, searching for a present to win the bet._ I'm _the one whose been wasting my time on deluded fantasies. If he actually manages to win, I'll never see Yukina-san again…_

Slamming his hands on the table, Kuwabara stood up. His head down, Kuwabara sped for the exit. By chance he caught a glimpse of bit of black hair to his left. Turning, Kuwabara saw the man with the black hair, and then kept on walking. Then he did a double take. It was the most disturbing sight Kuwabara had even seen. He raised his voice and cried out to him.

* * *

Wiping her eyes, Keiko walked into the bathroom of her competitor's restaurant. Thankfully, while there was an occupied stall, there was no one by the sinks who could see Keiko's disheveled state. Keiko sniffed before looking at herself in the mirror. She cringed.

 _Ugh, I'm a mess. Gotta pull it together, Keiko. Yusuke didn't mean to be rude._ Keiko released an exasperated breath, her hand on the counter closing into a fist. _Oh,_ sure _he didn't…_ The memory of Yusuke telling her to wear a miniskirt came to her mind. _When I need him, Yusuke only thinks of himself and what he wants…_ The thought brought tears to Keiko's eyes.

"Are you all right?"

Keiko turned to her right to see the waiter Yusuke thought Keiko was dating by her side. "W-What are you doing here, Ryuichi?"

Ryuichi placed his hand on Keiko's shoulder, a slimy smirk on his face. "I'm terribly sorry, Keiko-san, about what you were forced to endure."

Jerking out of the young man's grasp, Keiko backed up a step. "How do you know—you were listening to our conversation!"

"Well, considering how loud and obnoxious that thug was half the restaurant was listening, my love."

Disgusted, Keiko narrowed her eyes. _I am_ NOT _your love._

Before Keiko could open her mouth to speak, Ryuichi stepped closer to Keiko. "Here…" he whispered in a low, velvety voice. He stroked a thumb across her cheek, brushing aside a tear. Leaning forward, he breathed, "I'll make you feel better…"

Keiko smacked his hand away, snapping, "Get the hell away from me. I don't need you to comfort me."

"Damn straight, scuzzball. Get away from my woman."

Confused, Keiko stepped to the side to see the entrance of the restroom. "Is that you?"

* * *

Scowling, Yusuke leaned back in the chair and put his legs up on the table. Servers and customers sent him dirty glares. A few servers conversed with themselves, wondering if they should kick Yusuke out for being so disruptive and disrespectful. But Yusuke paid them no mind.

 _Damn it, Keiko's mad at me again. But at least she didn't leave the restaurant entirely. That's a good thing, right? I still got a second chance._ Sighing, Yusuke replayed the conversation in his mind, wondering when things had got out of hand. _Wait a moment! Keiko said that she was meeting Kuwabara! I gotta… I gotta do something!_

Yusuke slammed the chair's legs down on the ground and reached for his brown schoolbag on the floor. After the fiasco at the park, Yusuke had sworn he would always be prepared for the event that he ran into Kuwabara. Yusuke flipped it open and rumbled through the goodies inside. _A farting whoopee cushion, water balloons, a fake plastic spider to scare Yukina, a monkey wrench, a fake plastic snake to scare Kuwabara… Man, it's too bad Yukina isn't here so that I can humiliate him in front of her. Is Kuwabara here yet?_

Yusuke looked up just in time to see the scum waiter from before entering the bathroom Keiko disappeared into. _What the shit?! So he's a pervert, too, huh? Well, tough luck, bud, because when it comes to being a pervert…_ Yusuke stood up, and cracked his knuckles. _No one's better than me._ Grabbing his schoolbag, Yusuke headed towards the entrance of the female bathroom.

Opening the door a crack, Yusuke could see Keiko and the waiter. Keiko faced towards him, while the waiter has his back towards Yusuke. The waiter was far too close to Keiko for Yusuke's liking. Selecting an item from his schoolbag, Yusuke thought, _Stopping someone from making a move on Keiko is far more important than embarrassing Kuwabara._

Keiko smacked the waiter's hand away, snapping, "Get the hell away from me. I don't need you to comfort me."

"Damn straight, scuzzball. Get away from my woman." Yusuke lifted the object high in the air, took aim, and began to throw it.

"Urameshi! What the hell are you doing peeking into the girl's bathroom?!"

" _Kuwabara_?!" Yusuke turned around at the voice, causing him to mess up his throw.

The object sailed through the air and nailed Keiko. Water burst upon contact, soaking Keiko's chest. At that moment, a woman opened her stall. She stared at Keiko and the male waiter in the girl's bathroom. She stared at Keiko's soaking wet breasts. She stared at Yusuke at the entrance. Keiko and the waiter stared right back. The woman stepped backwards and closed the stall door.

The waiter looked at Keiko's chest appraisingly. "Nice."

Mortified, Keiko covered her chest with her arms. She looked to see Yusuke staring back at her with a surprised expression on his face. He raised a hand. "…Hi. How ya doing? …Good-bye." Yusuke slipped through the door and left.

"GET BACK HERE!"

Keiko bolted out of the bathroom. Yusuke was hightailing it out of the restaurant, however the many servers, customers, and tables were impeding his escape. Snatching a metal serving tray from a server, Keiko caught up with Yusuke. Sensing Keiko behind him, Yusuke turned around. "Ah, Keiko, I—"

Keiko smashed the tray down on Yusuke's head, denting the tray. "OW!" Yusuke collapsed to the ground, the tray clattering by his head. Cries and gasps from the other people in the restaurant filled the air. Stepping over the fallen Yusuke, Keiko made her way towards the exit.

"Ow, ow, ow…" Yusuke moaned, gripping his head. Upon not seeing Keiko's shoes, Yusuke leapt up. He stepped towards her, shouting, "Keiko, no, wait! Don't leav—"

Yusuke stepped on the metal serving tray and it slipped out from underneath him. For the second time, Yusuke crashed to the ground, this time bringing a table full of food with him. The couple eating there cried out in alarm.

Yusuke shoved the table off of him, the food and drinks spilled all over him. Red bean sauce changed his black hair to red, and ramen noodles hung off his shirt collar and ears like a necklace and earrings. Rice decorated him like it had been snowing. He was soaked to the skin with saké. "Hmm…" Yusuke chewed on something before spitting out a bit of bean paste. "This place's food really does suck." Hearing the sound of swinging doors, Yusuke looked up. But Keiko was nowhere to be found. "Keiko, wait!"

Yusuke jumped up and ran out of the restaurant. Through the giant window, Kuwabara could see the food encrusted Yusuke. Startled by the strange sight, people openly gaped at Yusuke, convinced he was some sort of basket case. Yusuke's head whipped this way and that, searching for Keiko. Charging off in a random direction, Yusuke threw out a hand and cried, "Keiko, don't dump meee!"

Kuwabara blinked. Then he turned around, heading for the back exit.

* * *

Her chef hat clenched in a hand, Yukina exited the kitchen, her chin trembling. "Kazuma-san, I was told I was fired and had to leave but I don't know what I did wrong… Kazuma-san?"

But Kuwabara was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

A sigh escaping her lips, Yukina stared out the open temple window. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, but Yukina couldn't see the sun because of the figurative rainclouds drizzling over her.

"Yukina."

But what could she do? Every single thing she tried ended up in failure. Her last job set a new record: she was fired in a mere two hours. How was she supposed to afford to buy Kuwabara or Hiei a present if she kept getting fired?

"Yukina!"

The ice demon sighed again. Maybe she should just give up.

Grumbling under breath, Genkai placed her empty tea cup on the table. "Feh. And Yusuke says that _I'm_ hard of hearing."

From his place sitting across from the spiritual master, Kurama noted, "Yukina-san appears to be quite distraught. Do you perchance know the reason?"

Genkai exhaled as she shook her head. "Earlier today she was fired from her job as a shopping mall greeter."

Kurama choked on his tea. Trying to keep a straight face, he inquired, "And just how does one get fired from being a store greeter?"

"I don't know all the details. It was hard enough figuring out just what had happened because she was so upset. But it seems to me that a couple of thugs had gotten a little too friendly in their greeting to Yukina. Her boss found the men broken and bruised in the alley next to the store."

Kurama hid his smile behind his cup. "Sounds like Hiei or Kuwabara-kun."

Genkai grunted her agreement. "Her boss assumed it was her boyfriend and so he told her to beat it. Just yesterday she was fired from a cooking job at a restaurant. And after I had been teaching her how to make different human foods, too…"

Swallowing, Kurama glanced down at the pile of papers scattered on the table. His eyes spied a page torn from a paper desk calendar. November 30th was circled in red. _Three more days until the end of November. Three more days until the bet between Hiei and Kuwabara-kun ends and they give their gifts to Yukina-san in front of everyone here at the temple. Three more days… and I haven't created any strategy to humiliate Hiei and win_ my _bet with Yusuke. What should I do?_

 _Wait a second. Hold on._ Kurama picked up the calendar and examined it. _It's true that November 30_ _th_ _is the deadline for the bet, but why would Master Genkai circle it? She doesn't care about the wager._ Kurama happened to glance at the top of page. _No, Yukina-san's name is written here. This must be her calendar. But, again, Yukina-san doesn't know of the bet. So is something else occurring on that day? Something important?_

"What are you staring at?" Wordlessly, Kurama flipped the calendar around to show the martial arts master. Genkai narrowed her eyes at the page, before she snatched it out of his hand, crumbled it, and stuffed it in a pocket. "Never mind that! Let's get back to work."

Kurama stroked his chin in thought. _So it is important. And she doesn't want anyone to know about it. Hmm. Interesting. I shall have to inquire into the matter later by asking Yukina-san what she knows._

Genkai continued, "A young female demon will be living here starting after Christmas. After a life of familial abuse, she wishes to live as normal human would. Of course that means eventually she'll have to enroll at a school. The question is…" Genkai lifted her cup to her lips and glanced at Kurama over the rim. "Would you be willing to tutor her to fill in the gaps of her education?"

"I'd be happy to."

Genkai returned Kurama's smile and sipped from her empty cup. Then she slammed it down on the table and snapped, "Yukina!"

Yukina jumped. "Yes, what is it?" Genkai angrily held up her cup in the air. "I'm sorry! I'll get you more!" she cried as she disappeared down the hall.

Kurama offered, "I could have brewed more tea for you if you're so inclined."

"She shouldn't just be sitting there dwelling on her past mistakes. It's not good for her health."

Nodding, Kurama explained, "Of course. If she falls ill, there will be no one to make you tea. You'll have to do it yourself."

"Shut up." Kurama just smiled.

"Here it is! I hope you forgive my tardiness," apologized Yukina as she refilled Genkai's cup.

As Yukina hunched over Kurama's cup, pouring hot tea, Genkai proposed, "Why don't you get a job that centers on something you like?"

Yukina paused to blink, "Something I like? Hmm…" _A job centered on something I like? Yes, that might work… So far I'd being taking common human jobs. I didn't know those jobs so well, so I fretted over every single detail, and I ended up making a lot of mistakes. But if I take a job that I like, then I'll know more. Also, I'll be more motivated and my boss will be so impressed by how hard I'm working they won't fire me!_

Kurama watched Yukina digest the idea for a moment before noticing she hadn't stopping pouring the tea. His cup overflowed onto the table, soaking the reports. Kurama and Genkai scrambled to move the papers away and clean up the mess. Waving a hand over a wet page, Kurama asked, "Why do you wish to be employed so badly? That is, if you don't mind my asking."

"O-Oh, well. Um." Blushing, Yukina chuckled to herself, although she didn't know what was funny. When Kurama raised an eyebrow, Yukina ducked her head and mumbled, "Kazuma-san…"

"Oh gods above," Genkai exclaimed. "It's happening. The end of the world is coming."

"Why do you say that?" Kurama asked, confused.

"Because it'll take until the Apocalypse before she'll ever understand love."

"Oh, really now? Yukina-san understands love enough to have asked Kuwabara-kun out."

"What?! When did this happen?"

"The day after the bet. Kuwabara called me that night and he related all the details. He was so excited I could barely make out what in the world he was talking about. He kept on mentioning an axe wielding Monica for some reason… although it might have been the TV in the background."

Genkai grunted, "I don't believe it. There's no way they're dating."

Kurama leaned back and crossed his arms, a smug grin on his face. "Well then, there's only one course of action remaining. Go on, tell her, Yukina-san." _Tell her how much of a genius I am for coming up with that bet._

"What's dating?"

"What?!" Kurama gasped.

"What's dating?" Yukina asked. She leaned forward, raising her fists in determination. "It seems like a good thing, but when I asked Kazuma-san about it he got really sad."

Smirking, Genkai raised an eyebrow and her cup at Kurama as if to say, "I told you so." Kurama exhaled, and turned his gaze to the side. He muttered, "But that doesn't mean it's impossible for her to learn…" His eyes suddenly widened. "Yes, that's it!"

"Huh?" Yukina said.

Kurama grinned wickedly at the ice demon. "Yukina-san, I believe there is a much better person to answer that question."

* * *

Putting on her sandals, Yukina called behind her, "Thank you so much for your advice! I promise I'll do my best!" From deep within the temple, a grunt from Genkai was Yukina's reply. Opening the front entrance of the temple, Yukina shouted, "I'll be back tonight!"

"Whatever."

 _She never changes, does she?_ smiled Yukina, a familiar warmth melting the ice around her heart. _Just where would I be without her?_ Contented, Yukina turned around to close the door.

"Where are you going?"

For the second time that day, Yukina jumped. She turned around to see Hiei standing on the porch. Despite the chilly November air, he wore a blue muscle shirt and black pants. His expression was blank as ever. Although there seemed to be a bit of remorse as he said, "I could have been the enemy. If so, you would have been dead."

Bowing deeply, Yukina cried, "Yes, you're right. I'm so sorry! I'll watch my back better next time. Please forgive me." As she bowed, a realization hit her. _But I don't watch my back, I know you will. And in doing so, you'll need… That's it! I know what I should give Hiei-san! It's perfect!_

Hiei stared at Yukina for a moment before adverting his gaze. _Not… exactly what I meant. You should be more caref—which brings me back to my original point,_ Hiei thought, grinding his teeth. "You didn't answer my question."

"Huh? O-Oh, yes." Yukina straightened. Flustered, Yukina pressed her hands together like she was a sinner praying for forgiveness at the foot of an angry Buddha statue. "I was just going out."

Hiei snarled, "So he was right after all."

"I'm sorry?"

"Never mind."

"Hiei-san. If you don't mind, I have a question to ask you." Hiei grunted a "go ahead". "What does 'wife' mean?"

"W-W-What?!" Hiei spluttered. He backed up a step, the breath knocked out of him.

"What does—?"

"I know that! Why do you want to kn—?"

"Oh, good." Yukina clapped her hands. "You know what it means!"

"…" _That's… not what I meant._

Clasping her hands together, Yukina leaned forward, begging, "Please, tell me."

"I…" His face flushing, Hiei adverted his eyes, unable to meet her intense stare. He snapped, "Why should I?"

Her shoulders slumping, Yukina let her arms hang. "You won't tell me."

Surprised, Hiei looked up at Yukina. _She just assumed I wouldn't answer her. Why? …Maybe because you're an asshole to her?_ Hiei lowered his gaze. _Yeah, probably._

"I'll tell you."

"What?"

"I said I tell you! So just stand there and… listen…"

Yukina smoothed over the folds of her kimono with a hand. She shifted her weight over her feet. Then she beamed at Hiei, her eyes alight.

Hiei sucked in a deep breath. _Okay, here we go._ "It's…" Hiei's eye twitched. He pressed a hand to his right eye. "That means…" His left eyebrow began spasming. Ignoring the erratic brow, Hiei explained, "A w-w…" Puzzled, Yukina frowned. "A w-w-w… A wi—" Hiei cut himself off and spun around. He panted heavily, exhausted by his attempt to explain.

 _I can't._

Yukina stepped forward, raising a hand to place on his shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"No!" Yukina flinched. "No, I mean yes! No, I mean…"

 _I can't explain it._

"I'm all right, Yukina. I am perfectly…"

 _I can't explain what 'wife' means to my sister!_

Trying to reclaim some of his lost dignity, Hiei thrust his chin in the air. He crossed his arms and huffed, "Of all people why are you asking me?"

"O-Oh, well, you see…" Confused, Hiei turned around. Yukina had her hand pressed together by her legs. She swayed back and forth. Her demure eyes refused to meet Hiei's gaze as a delicate blush glossed her face. "It's just I wanted to ask the man I'm closest to…"

Hiei's jaw dropped. Only guttural noises emitted from his mouth. _N-No, this can't be happening!_ _She doesn't mean…_ Hiei whipped around and then claw at his closed eyes repeatedly. _The images! The images!_

"Stop!" Yukina cried. She ran to Hiei's front and grabbed his wrists. "What's wrong? Why are you doing that to yourself?"

 _This is… This isn't right. It's downright wrong. I'm her brother. Doesn't she realize that? We can't—That's right. I never… told… her. Shit. No, it's all right. I'll just tell her I'm her brother and—No, I can't tell her that, either! She'll reject me. She'll never want to see my face again. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Maybe I should tell her. Her rejecting me not wouldn't be so bad now!_

Yukina clasped her hands over both of Hiei's hands, preventing him from harming himself. A bolt of electricity shot down Hiei's spine the instant Yukina touched him. His mind began screaming. His body refused to move, and so he remained trapped. Her eyes welling up, Yukina chocked, "Just tell me. What's, what's wi…"

"Yukina, I, er, need to explain something."

"Yes?" Yukina leaned forward, becoming uncomfortably close to Hiei's face. "What is it?"

 _I should let her down gently._ His face burning, Hiei swallowed. _Riiiight._ "L-Look, I…" Her eyes widening in anticipation, Yukina leaned in even closer. Hiei could smell the scent of vanil—"Just because I come to visit you it doesn't mean I like you."

Yukina dropped Hiei's hands, gaping, "You don't like me?!" Exhaling in relief, Hiei furiously wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. Yukina glanced down, watching him. Her eyes welled up.

Realizing she had misunderstood, Hiei hastened to clarify, "No, I mean, I just don't like you in that way!"

Yukina covered her face with her hands, whipped around, and fled, sobbing. She ran towards the tree line that surrounded the temple. In a moment she would be swallowed up by the forest, gone.

Seeing the jewels fall from her eyes, a horrible tide of guilt coursed through Hiei. He raised a hand out to her. "No, wait!" When Yukina didn't stop, Hiei cursed, "Damn it.

"I care about you!"

Gasping, Yukina stopped dead in her tracks. Trembling, she slowly turned around, jewels falling to the ground. "What?"

" _Mattaku_." Frowning, Hiei closed his eyes and scratched his head. "So much trouble."

"R-Really?" A faint smile lit up Yukina's face. "Did you… really mean that?" His eyes still closed, Hiei continued to scratch his head as though that was far more interesting than answering her. Swallowing, Yukina lowered her gaze.

"A wife is a woman who has agreed to stay with a man for the rest of her life. The man is called the husband. The woman and the man become family." Crossing his arms, Hiei turned to the side. In a bored tone, he asked, "Are you happy now?" however, his face was shaded slightly pink.

"Become family…" murmured Yukina, touching her heart. "That's amazing."

Hiei bent his knees, about to jump into the trees and leave.

"I want to be your wife, Hiei-san!"

Hiei nearly tripped over himself. "Wh-What?! What the he—"

Smiling, Yukina spread out her arms and spun around. Her hair fanned out in sea green waves behind her. Not a trace of her sorrow remained. A happy blush painted her cheeks in a rosy hue. Her eyes glowed with an inner light that outshone the jewels they had shed. Her high, melodious laughter filled the temple courtyard, ringing out like bells. "I want to be Hiei-san's, and Yusuke-san's, and Kurama-san's, and Kazuma-san's wife! That way we can all be one big happy family!"

Hiei facepalmed. He thought, Mattaku _. So much trouble._ Sighing, he removed his hand to watch Yukina, lost in her world of ignorant bliss. _Does this mean she wants to be a family with me? No!_ Hiei inwardly shouted. He squeezed his heart until it bled all of its foolish hopes. _That's impossible! She just, she just… wants to be friends. That's all. But she clearly said—Shut up!_ Why was it so hard to convince himself that Yukina would never accept him?

This was troublesome, very troublesome indeed.

 _Best to leave and forgot about this whole ridiculous encounter._ He turned around.

 _"I want to be your wife, and Yusuke-san's, and Kurama-san's, and Kazuma-san's!"_

Hiei froze. _…N-No!_

"Or maybe I shouldn't be everyone's wife. Keiko could be Yusuke's wife and Botan would be Kur—Ah!"

Hiei disappeared and reappeared by Yukina's side, grasping her shoulder in a death grip. His eyes burned with the fervor of the Dragon of Darkness Flame. Lip curling, he snarled, "Did that stupid moron propose to you?!"

"Who? Propose what?"

"That's why you're asking what wife means! How could I have not realized this sooner?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you mean…"

Breaking away from Yukina, Hiei clenched both of his fists. "Damn it, I'm going to kill him. He thinks he can date and marry you without my knowledge, does he?"

"There's that word again."

"No, I won't kill him. I'll get that Eternal Sinning Tree or whatever Kurama used on the Elder Toguro. Yes, that'll—what?" Cutting himself off, Hiei turned to Yukina and asked, "What word?"

"'Date'. I don't know what that means either. When I mentioned it to Kazuma-san, he looked really upset and it infuriates you."

Confused, Hiei lowered his fists. "But he told me you and that moron had gone on a date…"

"Shoot!"

At the third voice, Hiei's and Yukina's head whipped towards the trees. "What was that?" Yukina asked.

But when she turned to look, Hiei was gone.

* * *

Kurama leaned back against the tree trunk, grinning. After wiping tears from his eyes, Kurama peered through his lens. Hiei's and Yukina's forms came into view.

"Of all people why are you asking me?"

"O-Oh, well, you see…" Her demure eyes refused to meet Hiei's gaze as a delicate blush glossed her face. "It's just I wanted to ask the man I'm closest to…"

Hiei's jaw dropped.

Shoulders shaking, Kurama covered his mouth with his free hand. _I never could have dreamed that this would have happened. I'm so glad I'm recording this! Ah, to see everyone's faces when they watch this…_

Baiting Hiei to the temple was simpler than Kurama had feared. Sharing the news of Yukina and Kuwabara's new relationship status was enough to infuriate Hiei. Hinting towards the possibility of them dating tonight was enough to send Hiei running. Not that they were actually dating, and not that Hiei needed to know that. Sitting in a nearby tree, Kurama had the perfect spot for his camrecorder to record everything.

The thought that Kurama was going too far crossed his mind. Then he remembered Hiei laughing while he and Botan ran from the police at the mall and Kurama's guilt vanished. _Besides, I have three days until my bet with Yusuke. And when the opportunities arise, master thief that I am, I don't say no…_

"Yukina, I, um, need to explain something."

"Yes?" Yukina leaned forward towards Hiei's face. "What is it?"

His face burning, Hiei swallowed. "L-Look, I…" Her eyes widening in anticipation, Yukina leaned in even closer. "Just because I come to visit you it doesn't mean I like you."

It was odd that Hiei believed Yukina's desire to know what wife meant referred to him instead of Kuwabara. _I suppose the fact that they're siblings is always in the forefront of his mind._ Suppressing another fit of laughter, Kurama thought, _Ah, this is so much better than I possibly could have imagined._

"I care about you!"

Gasping, Yukina stopped dead in her tracks. Trembling, she slowly turned around, jewels falling to the ground. "What?"

" _Mattaku_." Frowning, Hiei closed his eyes and scratched his head. "So much trouble."

 _…And there's our happy ending. Time to go before my luck runs out._ After checking to see if the coast was clear, Kurama raised a finger to the red button on his camrecorder.

"…There's that word again."

Frowning, Kurama lifted his finger from the button. Pushing a leafy branch aside, Kurama once again focused the camrecorder's lens down at Yukina and Hiei. _What's going on? She's not going to…_

"No, I won't kill him. I'll get that Eternal Sinning Tree or whatever Kurama used on the Elder Toguro. Yes, that'll—what?" Cutting himself off, Hiei turned to Yukina and asked, "What word?"

"'Date'. I don't know what that means either. When I mentioned it to Kazuma-san, he looked really upset and it infuriates you."

"Shoot!" _Yukina-san, I told you not to mention dating to Hiei! Then Hiei will know that I—_

A figure jumped onto the tree branch Kurama was sitting on with such grace that the leaves barely shook. The _shrinnnk_ of a sword being drawn sounded deafening in the close quarters. Hiei smiled down at Kurama.

 _…lied._ Kurama gulped. Then the fox demon smiled warmly. He opened his mouth.

"For someone who already died once…" Hiei lazily examined his sword. "You don't value your life much."

Kurama nervously laughed, "Now, Hi—"

In a blink of an eye, the branch beneath Kurama disappeared, throwing him in a free fall. Kurama landed on his knee. His camrecorder followed, littering the ground before in pieces; the videotape nearly unrecognizable. Kurama didn't know whether to curse in anger or sigh in defeat.

Closing his eyes, Kurama thought, _Only one way out of this now._ "All right, Hiei, if you're done with your temper tantrum, then I can explain what—"

A trail of white ribbon gently floated down. _No, not ribbon, but…_ Wide-eyed, Kurama whipped his head back to look up. Hiei stood on another branch, a fiery black dragon over his shoulder.

Raising his hands, Kurama pleaded, "Whoa, whoa, hold on. Hold on now! There's no need to go that f—I mean, you're going to burn the whole forest down!"

Hiei grinned.

* * *

"Aaaaaaahhhh!"

Startled, Yukina turned to the forest surrounding Genkai's temple. _That sounded like Kurama-san!_ She began to run towards the trees when a memory resurfaced. _But Kurama-san left the temple_ _already. He said he needed to get something from his house. So that couldn't have been Kurama. I must be hearing things._

 _Is it someone who is hurt and needs my help?_ No, that couldn't be true, either. If so, Hiei would have asked for her assistance by now. _Then it must be an intruder._

Yukina turned back to the temple, called, "I'm leaving now!"

 _It'll be all right. I'm sure of it._ Yukina was completely confident that Hiei-san can take care of whoever would dare cross him. She smiled to herself, content. As she descended the temple steps, she happily hummed a tune, blocking out the screams.

* * *

 _Ding-dong._

The front door of the Hatanaka residence opened, revealing Suichi, Kurama's step brother. "Who is—ugh!" Stepping back, Suichi plugged his nose with a hand. "Onii-san, what did you do?!"

A very annoyed and exhausted Kurama stood in the doorway. Mud caked his faces and clothes, plastering a number of leaves to his form. His clothes were ripped and torn as though he thought a jaunt through a rosebush would be fun. His hair stuck up in thousand directions like he had just rolled out of bed. From what Suichi could see, parts of Kurama's hair, his shoulders, and the back of his clothes looked singed. The smell of sweat, burned clothes, and sludge was enough to knockout a pig in a pigsty.

Suichi was stunned into speechlessness as he took it all in. Then he spied something sticking out of his hair. Smirking, Suichi asked, "Interesting choice for a barrette. Is that a new fashion?"

"Wha—?" Kurama reached up and felt a stick poking out of his hair. Throwing it aside, he muttered, "Stupid Hiei. Can't take a joke." Focusing back on his step-brother, Kurama huffed, "Ha, ha, very funny. Now let me in so I can take a shower."

Eyes softening, Suichi lowered his hand from his nose. "Hold on a second." After closing the door partly, Suichi left. Kurama could hear him run up the stairs.

A minute later, Suichi appeared at the door. He tossed a bundle of clothes into Kurama's arms. "Use the hose."

Suichi burst out laughing, leaving Kurama gaping as Suichi slammed the door close in his face.

* * *

Next chapter is the last chapter before the day of the bet! So please continue reading! :)


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Hugging herself against the late November chill, Yukina trudged ahead, keeping her head down. At this hour, only a few people wandered the streets of the shopping district. One by one the lights within the stores extinguished. The wind whipped through the buildings causing Yukina to shiver. She wished she brought her jacket Genkai had given her, but she stupidly left that at the temple. Then again, she never expected to be out this late. Yukina scoffed. _Look at how well that turned out._

"…string of unusual animal related crimes within the past few days."

Hearing the voice of a woman in her ear, Yukina stopped and turned. The image of a smartly dressed news anchor was emblazoned on a half dozen TV screens in a store window front. "Three days ago a new employee released all the animals at the pound before fleeing the scene. Then the receptionist assaulted a vet who was about to administer a rabies shot to a dog as well as the dog's owner. And yesterday someone led a child into a lion's cage."

The man sitting at the desk beside the reporter marveled, "It's a miracle that no one was severely injured during these events."

"Yes, however, the number of missing animals following these crimes is quite large."

"Who could have committed these atrocities? Some misguided animal lover?"

The female news anchor shook her head, disgusted. "Perhaps. But it sounds more like twisted and perverse sociopath who enjoys endangering innocent animals and engaging in animal cruelty."

 _Twisted and perverse sociopath…_ Yukina thought, smiling bitterly. _Sounds like what Tarukane called us ice maidens._ Ducking her head, Yukina continued walking down the sidewalk, leaving the TVs behind, but not their words.

 _What are you doing, you imbecile? What, do you think you're some hero? Well, you're not! You've just ruined me!_

Yukina closed her eyes at the memory of the pound's owner shouting at her. _But all the animals looked so old and sickly in those dark cages… They begged me to release them. I could see it in their eyes. I didn't know that you founded your livelihood on raising them…_

 _She just attacked Dr. Akagi! Someone stop her! Someone stop her before she hurts someone else!_

Yukina wrapped the front of her kimono tighter. _I just wanted to protect that poor basset hound from that nasty shot. I didn't realize that shot helped prevent the dog from getting a disease. Had I known, I never would have knock that vet unconscious. I don't want to hurt anyone._

A blood curling scream ripped through Yukina's head. _That woman! She kidnapped my baby! They're inside the lion's cage! That monster is going to let him be ripped apart!_

Yukina halted, her body trembling from head to toe. _The boy wanted to see the lions up close and asked for my help. All animals are tame around me, even the biggest of predators, so I think there would be a problem if we got a bit closer. I certainly wouldn't have stood by and watched the boy been torn limb from limb. I'm not… I'm not a monster!_

A plinking sound shattered her thoughts. Startled, Yukina snapped her eyes open. A small yellow orb lying on the sidewalk glinted in the streetlamp's light up at her. A tear gem. An ice cold hand of fear seized her heart and squeezed. What if a person strolling by saw her produce the gem? They would take her and torture her to make more. Her hand shot out to pick it up.

 _I'm didn't mean to…_

But there was no one heard her silent pleas and attempts to justify herself. No one listened to her anyway. She was too small and too frail for anyone to take her seriously.

Another plink sound. Yukina looked down to see another yellow gem beside her hand. She snatched up the second gem.

And just what was her defense? She didn't know. She didn't realize. She didn't think. What kind of justification was that?

Yukina's lower lip trembled as several more gems fell from her eyes. Then she gasped. _No, no, no. Stop crying. You're stronger than this._

A memory enveloped Yukina.

 _Growling, Yukina jerked against the restraints on her wrists and ankles. Whenever a guard came too close to her chair, she shot them an icy blast, forcing them to keep their distance. She just had to keep up this ploy for a moment longer then she could freeze the metal bands and shatter them. No more being alone, dread curling in her stomach as she waited for hours on end. No more pain or challenging herself to endure more bruises, cuts, and burns without crying. No more listening to the whispered words of Tarukane in her ear, telling her that she was—_

 _Something yanked on her hair, and Yukina's head slammed against the back of metal chair. Stars danced in her vision. Words hissed in her ear. "You don't think I realize what you're trying to do, bastard?"_

 _Tarukane. Yukina renewed her struggle with a vengeance._

 _Tarukane yanked on her hair again. Yukina tasted blood in her mouth. "You think that you can escape? Well, let's see what happens if your little 'plan' succeeded. You'll break free from your chains. Then you'll have to face my men. Assuming that you'd have the strength to overpower them, which you don't, then you'll be outside the room. Let's say you know the layout of the building, which I've have been quite careful to ensure that you don't know. Even if you are able to defat all of my men did you learn of the many mutant beats I have lurking in the basement? They could crush a man with one paw. You could never even entertain the possibility of escaping._

 _"But since this is a fun game, let's not stop there, shall we? All right, you've reached the front door. You open it …and realize that you don't have any idea where the mansion is. Surely it's in the Human Realm, but do you where exactly in the world it is? If you don't know where, then how can you return to the Demon Realm?_

 _"But let's imagine that by some miracle you did return to the Demon Realm. So what? No one is waiting for you. No one misses you. No one cares about you. And while you are in the middle of realizing this, someone else will capture you. Maybe another human, but probably a demon. And they'll be a lot worse._

 _"Don't you see now that if it isn't me who has is tormenting you for tear gems that it'll be someone much worse? And I'm quite generous. I only come to you when I need the money. I'm not trying to stockpile your tears and sell them to the world at large. But a demon wouldn't have such qualms with tearing you limb from limb if it meant that you would cry unceasingly. ,_

 _"In short…" Tarukane released Yukina's hair to stand in front of her. His greasy smile was punctured by a smoking cigar. After taking a long drag, smiling all the while, he took out the cigar and blew out of a cloud of smoke. He twirled the cigar in his fat bejeweled fingers. "You don't have the strength, the intelligence, or the help to escape. So what does that make the thing in front of me?"_

 _Tarukane crushed his lit cigar into the center of Yukina's forehead, making sure to dig it in. Yukina didn't flinch._

 _"You are so worthless as a race that your kind evolved to create tears that would harden into priceless gems. So you see, I am just helping your evolution along. Why, under my tutelage, maybe you'll learn how to change your sweat into diamonds._

 _"But above all, never forget this, my student. You are weak. You are brainless. You are alone. You are not a person, but a thing. A freak of nature. The only thing of any worth about you is your tears, your misery and pain, are such a treasure to others. So tell me again…" Tarukane leaned in close to Yukina's face and grinned. "What were you trying to do earlier?"_

 _Yukina glared at Tarukane, her eyes brimming with ice so cold it burned. Her fists clenched fists drew blood from her hand. She clamped her jaw so hard her teeth ached. Her whole body was a tightly wound spring, ready to uncoil at any moment. The air reeked of tension._

 _Yukina sagged against her chair. A yellow orb fell from her eye._

 _Smirking, Tarukane fisted the orb from her lap and straightened. He admired the orb in the light. "Ah, beautiful." He looked down at Yukina, whose surrender leaked out from her every pore. He patted her head. "There's a good girl. Maybe you do have a bit of intelligence after all."_

 _His laughter echoed in her ears long after he left. She brimmed with hate; she could feel its metallic taste in her mouth. Its steady, pulsing heartbeat pumping its black waves through her. The desire to rip something to shreds left her trembling. Yes, she could feel hate's thrumming through her entire body._

 _But not hate for Tarukane._

 _For herself._

Yukina jerked out of her reverie at the sounds of a dozen orbs hitting the sidewalk like hail. She scrambled to gather the orbs with her two hands, but there were too many to hold. They slipped out her hands and rolled out of her reach, disappearing into the shadows. A few clattered down a sewer gate, impossible for her to reclaim.

 _A freak of nature… Too weak, stupid, and helpless to escape from the grasp of a powerless human. Because I was too scared to stand up for myself, a pushover is all people will ever see of me. I can't do anything special. I'm worthless._ Yukina held the tightly grasped orbs to her chest as a flood of new orbs cascaded down from her eyes. _All that matters to others is my pain and anguish._

"Yukina-san?"

Confused, Yukina lifted her head to see a figure standing just beyond the glow of a streetlamp. They stepped forward.

"Kazuma-san?" Yukina breathed.

"Are you all right?" Kuwabara asked, his face scrunched up in worry. Crouching down besides her, Kuwabara gazed at Yukina's puffy face. "What's wrong?"

Unable to speak, Yukina stammered, "U-Uh…"

An object glinting in the light caught Kuwabara's eye. "What's this?" Kuwabara picked up one of Yukina's crystal tear gems and examined it. His face darkened for a moment before he turned away and began collecting its companions. "Don't want anyone to lay their hands on these."

 _How can this be?_ Yukina marveled. The image of Kuwabara defending her from those thugs who harassed her flashed through her mind. _How can it be that every time I need help Kazuma-san is there?_ Then she shook her head. _I'm reading a series of coincidences too deeply. There's no hidden meaning to be found._

"Here."

"Huh?" Yukina jerked. She looked up to see Kuwabara standing over her, his hand extended to her. "Oh." As he helped her stand, Yukina looked behind her. "A few tumbled down the sewer gate."

"It's all right. I'm sure it'll become so dirty that it'll be unrecognizable. Don't worry about it."

 _I guess_ , Yukina thought, _I was just getting worked up over nothing._ He patted her shoulder, smiling down at her. Hesitantly, Yukina returned his smile. Putting his arm around her shoulders, Kuwabara gently herded Yukina down the street. "Um, Kazuma-san, where are we going?"

Kuwabara pointed to their left. The glow of the streetlamps and the bulbs of fireflies illuminated a field of grass. Squinting her eyes, Yukina made out a familiar bench under a tree. "Is that the park we visited?"

"Uh huh. I figure that it'll be best to stay off the streets for now."

 _Because I'm a mess_ , Yukina finished. But relief bubbled within her at the thought. She nodded her thanks.

A silence stretched out between them after they had settled down on the bench. Unsure of how to explain her meltdown, Yukina said nothing. Making circles in the grass with her sandal, she thought, _It's not like he would understand if you did._

Kuwabara gripped the bench's edge on either side of his legs. After a moment, he hung his head and sighed. "I'm sorry."

"What?" Yukina gasped. Turning to her companion, Yukina pressed a fist over her heart. "What do you need to apologize for?"

Not meeting her eyes, Kuwabara drummed his fingers against the bottom of the bench. "Well, um, ya see…" _No,_ he scolded himself, _Face her like a man._ Kuwabara looked up and held her gaze. "In my eagerness for us to be… closer to each other, I made an assumption about our relationship. I overstepped my bounds. I apologize."

Yukina's lips parted. _"A freak of nature…"_ Exhaling, Yukina lowered her eyes and turned to face forward. She gripped her kimono until her knuckles became white.

Confused, Kuwabara asked, "Yukina-san?" Worry lined the edges of voice as he prodded, "What's wrong?"

"Why," murmured Yukina, "would you want to be closer to me?"

"What?" She didn't just say what he thought she said …did she?

"Why would you want to be closer to me?"

The words burst out of Kuwabara like a stampeding rhino. "What are you talking about?!" When Yukina didn't respond, Kuwabara scooted closer. He put an arm on the back of the bench and talked with his hands. "Why wouldn't anyone _not_ want to be close to you? You're the kindest, sweetest person I ever met! Always noble and considerate, you always think of other people before yourself. And you're beautiful! So beautiful. Your laugh reminds of a gentle wind brushing the tops of the trees. Your smile, it's like, it's like… like a ray of sunshine after a storm. It's infectious. Like a virus." Frantically waving his hands, Kuwabara corrected himself, "I mean, not like in a bad way! It's just that, well you know how viruses multiple a lot and all—like a hundred times over—and so your smile can make a hundred people smile, too…" Seeing Yukina's lack of a reaction, Kuwabara's words faded away like the mist breathed onto a window. _She's not listening… No, it's not that she's not listening, it's that she doesn't even hear me._

"It's that bastard Tarukane, right?"

Yukina flinched, her body going rigid and her eyes squeezing tight.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare ya. But it's him, right?"

The moment dragged on like the last minute of darkness before a new day. Numbly, Yukina nodded.

Kuwabara closed his eyes. _I knew it._ A tsunami of anger rose up within him, begging to be unleashed to wipe out all memory of Tarukane. _Calm down. Yukina-san doesn't need your anger. She needs… to hear the truth._

"I don't know what that scum Tarukane told you, but it isn't true. No matter what anyone says, no matter what they think…" Kuwabara cupped his hand over Yukina's fist and gazed into her red eyes. "No matter what you believe about yourself, there is no person in all the three realms that is stronger than you."

"W-What?" Yukina breathed. How could he be telling jokes at a time like this? Tears seeping into her voice, Yukina whisper shouted, "The strongest of all three realms? Me?"

There was such an air of solemn rightness surrounding Kuwabara that her protests died when he asserted, "Absolutely.

"I am completely convinced you are the strongest of all of us, even stronger than Urameshi; Kurama-kun; the shrimp, Hiei; and me."

"What are you talking about?!" Yukina cried, shaking her head. This was just too ridiculous to be true she couldn't remain silent. "Yusuke-san is so mighty and powerful I'm sure he could have blasted the mansion to shreds. Knowing how resourceful and brilliant Kurama-san is, he could have escaped in no time. Hiei-san can stoically endure any pain. And, Kazuma-san, you're so loyal that you never would have answered their questions. With a fiery spirit like yours, you never would have given up hope. But I'm…" Blinking rapidly, Yukina swallowed. "I'm none of those things."

Kuwabara shook his head. "Sorry, Yukina-san, but you're wrong. If any of the four of us got captured and tortured, wouldn't that change us? Think about it. Urameshi, so obsessed with strength, would never stop training in the Demon Realm, determined that no one would ever be so powerful that he would never be abused like that again. Kurama-kun, already very cynical and jaded, might lose his faith in humanity and demonkind, and maybe even in himself. Hiei would probably disappear, whether it's because he never forget the isolation and abandonment he felt while being tortured or his fear that anyone associated with him would be tortured as well. And me… Well." Kuwabara let out laugh. "I'm not as brave as you make me out to be. This is the guy who wanted to attend a Megallica concert instead of fighting Sensui and save the world, after all." Kuwabara smiled but there was no mirth behind it.

"Kazuma-san…" Yukina was touched, but where was he going with all of this?

Giving Yukina a thumbs-up, Kuwabara grinned, "But yer right about one thing. You're not like any of them.

"Although it's been ten forevers ago, I remember the time I first met ya extremely clearly. When I glimpsed into your memory and witnessed part of your torture, my stomach churned with disgust and horror. All I could think of was that I had to apologize to you somehow. To try my hardest to make it up to you, even as I was sure that you would be left traumatized. To heal your wounds, even as you healed mine. So I begged. I tried to tell you that not all of humanity was as heartless and cruel, even though I was convinced that you couldn't hear me.

"But then, you just smiled and said 'Don't worry! I don't hate humans at all.' And you, you entreated Hiei to not kill the man who had caused you nothing but pain for years." Kuwabara shut his eyes momentarily and swallowed hard. Then he opened his eyes and smiled gently at Yukina, his eyes shining slightly. "I can't think of anyone who would come out of that nightmare smiling. Your pure and kind heart, that's your strength, Yukina-san. That's what makes you so special."

Kuwabara paused, then he placed a hand behind his head and laughed. "Sorry, that sounded cheesy, didn't it? I'm not all that good with words, as you know with the whole virus bit… And look," Kuwabara added, becoming serious again. "Even if you still have trouble believing all that, the moment in which you told me that you didn't hate humans was the, er—best? Most important?—moment of my life. Whenever I'm frustrated or sick of this world, your words echo through my mind and I smile. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you inspire me. And, well," Kuwabara sheepishly smiled, "that counts for something, right?"

Like the birth of spring after a long winter, the cold sting of doubt fled from Yukina's heart, replaced with a warmth that spilled forth.

"Hey, what's that?"

Yukina looked down to see a sparkling deep blue orb sitting in her lap. Then another fell onto her lap and another. She pressed a hand to her eye, and removed it to behold another gem in her hand. Baffled, the ice demon murmured, "I… I don't understand…" _Why am I crying? I'm not sad. In fact, I'm actually pretty—_

"It's beautiful."

Kuwabara peered at one of the orbs pinched within his fingers. "In the light it's actually a blueish green. It's beautiful." Then he glimpsed Yukina watching him and he grinned.

 _Smirking, Tarukane fisted the orb from her lap and straightened. He admired the orb in the light. "Ah, beautiful."_

 _How can this be?_ Yukina marveled, as new orbs flooded forth. _How can there be a world of a difference between them when they said the same thing?_

Smiling, Yukina rubbed her eyes, sending the gems into the grass. But she hardly cared. In fact, she wanted others to see them; it was proof of this wonderful moment.

Kuwabara raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"

Yukina nodded and moved closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his torso, burying her head in his chest, inhaling deeply. _I don't know if I'll be able to like myself. I'm not capable of much. But…_

"Y-Yukina-san?"

A smile of content curling her lips, Yukina closed her eyes. _But if I stay by Kazuma-san's side, maybe one day I'll be able to say that I'm okay with myself._

Yukina felt Kuwabara hesitantly place his hand on her back. Then, with a surge of confidence, he held her closer and rubbed her back. He rested his chin on her head, whispering, "It's all right, Yukina-san. You don't have to believe in those things he told you any longer. You can let it all go. You can let it all go."


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Staring out over the temple's steps, Yukina bounced on the balls of her feet. "Any minute now…" she murmured to herself. Something moved in the trees. Yukina grinned like a fool.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm not going anywhere, Hiei-san," Yukina answered cheerfully, spinning around to face the fire demon. "I was waiting for you."

Hiei raised an eyebrow. "I'm early."

"I had a feeling that you would want to be early today." _…and that you would try to sneak up behind me like last time._

Hiei broke eye contact. "Hn." Yukina glowed at the unspoken praise.

Heading towards the temple, Yukina explained, "You're the last one to arrive." Hiei said nothing but she could sense his surprise. Looking over her shoulder she said, "If I could have, I would have contacted you and asked if it was possible for you to come a couple of hours early. We could have used your help for something."

Although Hiei schooled his features into a neutral expression, on the inside an inkling of guilt raised up within him. _What if there was an emergency and Yukina was in danger without a way to contact me? I must correct that immediately._

"I'm sorry." She placed her hand on the entrance of the temple and turned to face Hiei, frowning. "I phrased that poorly. I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

Hiei opened his mouth to object, "Who said I felt bad?" but that would have sounded stupid, so he snapped his jaw shut.

A smile crept on her face as she continued, "I really do appreciate you coming here."

Her smile reminded Hiei of the whole "wife incident" which made him uncomfortable. He glanced away, up at the sky.

"Have you seen any rainbows lately?"

Yukina blinked. "Rainbows?"

Hiei inwardly cursed. _How could I have her asked that? She's not going to remember one random conversation she had with me. Now she'll think I'm psychotic for talking about rainbows and—_

Yukina gazed up at the clear sky, her eyes clouded over with memory. "I used to look up at the sky for rainbows in the Human Realm, and the aurora borealis when I lived at my homeland in the Demon Realm. Look up and long for something out of my reach. But now…" Yukina fixated the fire demon with a warm smile. "I realize that I don't need anything." She turned around and entered the temple, leaving a very confused Hiei behind.

 _But didn't she say that she watched the aurora borealis and thought of her brother? Does that… does that mean she doesn't need me?_ Then Hiei froze. _Wait does that mean she won't like my—_

"Come on in," Yukina waved. After a moment of hesitation, Hiei stepped inside.

A large white banner emblazed with Japanese symbols hung from the ceiling directly in front of Hiei. Beneath the banner, a low, long table was heavily burdened with all kinds of cakes, pies, and cookies. Their sickly sweet smell made Hiei's nose itchy. Mixed within the desserts lay a few bowls of snacks like cheese curls and popcorn. On another smaller table next to the food was a pile of presents wrapped with either tacky pastel colors or kiddy patterned birthday hats. A shiny stereo in the back corner of the room quietly played something upbeat and happy, making Hiei's skin crawl. Keiko chatted with the pink kimono clad Botan while Kuwabara stuffed his face with potato chips. Scowling, Hiei shoved his hands in the pockets of his cloak, fixing the happy scene with a glare.

"A party," Hiei growled under his breath.

"Not just any party," Yukina sing songed, pointing up at the banner.

"It's the hag's birthday?" Hiei asked, after reading the words. _Great, just great. It's a_ birthday _party. That means I'll have to sing that retard song. And if I don't then everyone will glare at me as they sing and I'll feel remotely guilty and as the mighty Hiei I shouldn't have to put up with that shit._

Yukina smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "You see, after everyone visited here two weeks ago, I heard her angrily mumble something to herself. She said that she always hated the end of the month of November and she sounded pretty upset that all of you were coming on that day. So I…" Yukina's face fell and she fiddled with her kimono as she continued, "…snuck into some of her papers she kept hidden. I know it was wrong, but…" Swinging back to elation, Yukina cocked her head and happily clapped her hands. "But then I learned when her birthday was. I told everyone and look, look!" Yukina grabbed Hiei's hand dragged him across the room to the pile of presents. "We got so many presents for her! Then I called everyone here earlier today to help set up everything. When she returns from mediating in the forest, we can surprise her!"

Hiei slouched. _Damn it. She arranged the party. Now I_ have _to participate. I'd have more fun watching that kids' show with the purple dancing dinosaur._ Sulking, Hiei observed Botan snag a potato chip from Kuwabara's hand. She ate it, much to his anger. _I have a thousand better things I could be doing. Like… like patrolling the Demon Realm border. That's always… fun…_ Hiei slouched down even more. _My life sucks._

Walking towards the others by the table, Hiei thought, _I don't understand. This is the agreed day of the bet. The day where I my gift makes Yukina happier than that idiot's stupid present and he vows to leave Yukina alone. Which would be satisfying._ Then his earlier conversation with her echoed through his mind. _Or Yukina likes the oaf's present more and I'll have to tell him that I'm her sister. Which would be disastrous. So somebody tell me why such a serious and life changing bet…_

Hiei balled his hands into fists and fumed, _…is backdropped by a party?!_

Yukina cried out, "Everyone! Hiei-san's here!"

"Hiei?" A voice said behind the sliding doors to the left. "Ah, Hiei, you have to try out these—"

"No, don't open that door!"

As though time had slowed down, several things occurred almost simultaneously. A smiling Kurama slid open the doors, holding a platter of Oreo cookies in one hand. A bucket of yellow liquid fell from above, spilling down yellow rain. Yusuke tackled Kurama from behind, causing the plate to slip from the red head's hands. Both boys tumbled to the floor, Kurama's hair soaked yellow and Yusuke's face splatting into the Oreos.

"What the—?" Kuwabara asked, amazed and slightly perturbed.

Stepping towards them, Keiko inquired, "Are you all right?"

Running his hands through his hair, Kurama sat up. He removed his hand, which was sticky with yellow. He gasped in revulsion. Howling, "It stiiiings!" Yusuke rolled on the ground, rubbing the white icing of the cookies from his eyes.

At once they both cried, "What the hell are you doing?!"

They leapt to their feet. Pulling on strand of yellow-red hair, Kurama demanded, "What is this yellow stuff?"

"It's blond hair dye," Yusuke answered, still rubbing his eyes. "I thought it would be hilarious if I could dye Kuwabara's carrot pompadour into a banana for a week."

"A week?!" Kurama cried, horrified.

"A banana?!" Kuwabara cried, horrified.

"What the hell kind of icing stings like this?"

Crossing his arms, Kurama explained, "Those were for Hiei, not you. I replaced the icing with toothpaste and shaving cream."

"It feels like a bucket of chlorine was dumped into my eyes!"

"Well…" Kurama tossed his hair. Stroking his chin, he chuckled, showing off his pearly whites. "I might have coated them with bug spray."

"Bug spray? In the eyes?" Kuwabara exclaimed, "Call Poison Control Center!"

Above it all, Hiei shook his head in disgust. "The amount of idiocy in this room astounds me."

"What the hell possessed you to think that Hiei would ever eat cookies? And you were hoping for what now? To give him indigestion? Were you going to film him as he tried to take a shit?!"

"As if you're prank wasn't stupid, too." Kurama retorted. Throwing a hand towards the door, he exclaimed, "Placing a bucket on the door is the oldest trick in the book!"

"As if you're prank isn't cliché, too. I thought you were smart, but you're just desperate, aren't you? And—" Yusuke blinked, causing a bit of white he had missed to get in his eye. Holding his head, with a hand, he cried, "Goddamn you, Kurama! If I have permanent eye damage, I am so suing your ass."

"Oh, you're a demon, aren't you? Suck it up. Your problem will be gone before we leave, but what am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to explain to my sudden change of hair color? I'll never hear the end of it from my step-brother. I have a hard enough time explaining to everyone that my red hair color is natural, but how do I justify this retarded gangster red-blonde thing?"

"Oh, boo hoo. You're a demon, aren't you? Suck it up."

"A demon's pride and joy is his long hair! You've insulted my pride!"

"The sight of you insults my eyes! Except, oh, wait. I CAN'T SEE!"

"Here, let me help you then!"

"I don't think the dye's been rubbed in enough, let me help!"

Weeks of built-up frustration and aggression flooded forth like a dam breaking. Kurama attempted to brush the cookie icing into Yusuke's eyes while Yusuke struggled to scrub Kurama's head. Growling and cursing, the two ended up clawing each other and yanking on their hair just as much as they worked towards their respective goals.

Appalled, Yukina could only cover her mouth with her hands. Botan, however, was bowled over in laughter. "Girl fight! Girl fight!"

"With blond hair, you'd really would fit in a girls' school!"

"Maybe being blind, you'll actually be able to beat Yomi!"

Kuwabara whistled, impressed. "Those hit right below the belt."

"Stop it, you two!" Keiko pleaded.

"Why?" Hiei asked, grinning from ear to ear. "It's just gotten interesting."

"Asshole!"

"Dumbass!"

"What the hell is all that racket?"

Everyone turned towards the temple entrance where Genkai stood, her eyes angrily narrowed. When no one answered, Genkai asked, "Well?" She moved her gaze to the left to see Yusuke and Kurama interlocked caught in the throes of their fiery passion. Yusuke and Kurama shared a glance, realizing how close they were. Huffing, they broke apart and whipped around. Yusuke crossed his arms while Kurama jutted his chin in the air, but nothing could hide their colored cheeks.

Genkai snorted. "That's a story I want to hear." Yusuke's and Kurama's faces turned several shades of darker red amidst everyone's laughter.

Roaming her gaze over the food table, Genkai started, "Now what's with all this…" Genkai happened to glance up at the banner. She cursed so foul that her own mother would have slapped her.

Kuwabara raised his arms to the side and cheered, "Happy Birthday!" Silence. Lowering his arms, a confused Kuwabara muttered loudly to Botan, "What? What's wrong?" Botan timidly pointed at Genkai. She was a volcano about to erupt.

Genkai nodded at the stack of gifts. "And you got me presents, too. Did that bonehead of an apprentice of mine get one, too?"

Happy to put the earlier incident behind him, Yusuke rushed towards the presents. He lifted up a present that had more tape on it than a first-grader's art project. "Yup, it's right here—"

"I don't need depends." Stunned, Yusuke froze, mid-smile. Someone suppressed a chuckle.

Kurama cleared his throat. "I'm sorry," he apologized. Cutting a glare at Yusuke, Kurama admonished, "Yusuke, that's horrible. You should know better."

Yusuke made a face. "If I knew that about Ba-san, I would kill myself."

"You're one to talk, Kurama," Genkai scoffed. "After all, you got me a feather duster with an extendable wand or some such garbage, didn't you?"

Kurama blinked, crossed between being surprised and offended. "No, I didn't get you anything of the kind."

Looking away, Keiko muttered, "I got the feather duster."

Crossing his arms, Kurama closed his eyes and nodded, self-righteous. "And I purchased a stool."

Grinning, Yusuke raised his present and shook it a little. "Good thing she's got depends now!" Everyone burst out laughing.

With deliberate slowness, Genkai crossed her arms. "Who got me a new tea set?"

Yukina hung her head and turned around, about to take her present off the table.

"Damn it," Genkai cursed under her breath. "No, wait, Yukina! I'm sure it's nice. Just leave it."

"Oh yeah, well no one can top what I got her!" Kuwabara dashed towards the table and fisted a small present and lifted it up for all to see. "I got you Street Fighter II!"

Genkai raised an eyebrow. "I don't have that. And that's supposed to be the best in the series."

Kuwabara belatedly added, "At least I'll get it when I have the money!"

Shaking her head in disgust, Genkai said, "I can't believe you actually spent money just to insult me."

"Hey, it's not our fault!" interjected Kuwabara. "We had very little warning!" but no one paid any attention to him.

Yusuke clapped his hands loudly to get everyone's attention. Smiling, he walked over to Genkai as he said, "So we may have gotten you some shitty presents. But you know what? That doesn't matter. Because what really matters the most…" Yusuke laid his arm around Genkai's shoulders and smiled down at her. "Is that we're all here together. Right?"

Genkai took a deep breath and let it out through her nose. She turned her head towards Yusuke. "Take your load of bull and crap it in the depends where it belongs. And then get the hell away from me."

Caught between being shocked and laughing, Yusuke stammered, "W-Whoa, Ba-san."

"Trespassers like you should be reported to the police."

"'Trespassers'?" Yusuke repeated. "What are you talking about? Ain't this temple ours You gave it to us in your will, didn't ya?"

"Oh, you're trying to kill me off now? Should I keel over and die for you right now or would that be an inconvenience?"

Yusuke stepped back, removing his arm form her. "You know that's not what I meant. Now you're trying to be a pain in the ass."

"Who said that my property belonged to you anyway? You weren't there when I read my will."

"I don't get the temple? What the hell?! Aren't I your successor?"

Kuwabara edged over to Kurama. He whispered, "We sure made her really mad."

Kurama shook his head. "She's probably just extra irritable today because by celebrating her birthday, we're reminding her how old she is."

Rubbing his chin, Kuwabara asked, "How old is she anyway?"

"I'm not sure. At least seventy."

"Really? Whoa. I thought she was at least ninety if not a thousand three hundred fifty-seven years old." Kurama glanced sidelong at Kuwabara. "Hey, you never know with her."

Kurama sighed and then looked up at the bickering duo. Yusuke had rolled up his sleeve, but Genkai refused to even face or look at him, which only exasperated him more. "I just can't tell if underneath all that anger, she's happy we went through such lengths for her or if she's really is furious."

"Kurama!" Genkai snapped.

Kurama and Kuwabara flinched. _The latter_ , they thought simultaneously.

"Yes?" smiled the kitsune.

"I want you and Yusuke in my room immediately. And the rest of you," she gestured to the remains of Oreo cookies and yellow dye spilled on the floor, "clean up this mess with the brooms and dustpan one of you bought me."

Yusuke and Kurama gulped.

Genkai strode over to the pair of doors on the right. When she looked over her shoulder and noticed no one was following her, she shouted, "Now!"

Kurama and Yusuke scrambled after her.

"Yes, ma'am!"

"All right, all right already!"

* * *

"Now what am I going to do with you?" Genkai asked.

Frowning, Yusuke puzzled over his master's actions. Genkai had never called anyone out before like this. What could it mean? She was truly going to punish them in some horrible, bloody fashion, and bury their bodies where no one could find them, wasn't she? Recalling his training, Yusuke wasn't the least bit doubtful that she would kill them.

Kurama broke the ice. "I hope we haven't offend you too much."

Genkai burst out laughing. Confused, Yusuke glanced at Kurama sitting beside him. He bore an equally grim expression. Listening to Genkai's creepy laughter was a fate far worse than a lecture.

Eventually Yusuke snapped, "What's so funny?"

"You two!" Yusuke and Kurama blinked. "You, Yusuke, were so angry and Kurama actually looked a little intimidated… and of course there's whatever you were doing when I came in."

Embarrassed, the teenagers looked at anything other than Genkai or each other.

"And the fact that you actually believe that I'm mad with you! You're so tense as though you're afraid I'm going to punish you in some horrible, bloody fashion, and bury your bodies where no one could find them."

Yusuke shivered. _She really is creepy._

Frowning, Kurama repeated, "So you're not angry?"

"No, no. Annoyed, yes. But not mad." Genkai stood up and opened the closet. Bending over, she retrieved a portable stovetop, a tea kettle and cup, and a tea bag.

"But then why go through that charade?" inquired Kurama as she made tea.

"It was the only way I could teach you a lesson. A lesson for not including me."

"Not including you? But it's your birthday, Ba-san. How could we not include you?"

"Do I have to spell out everything for you, you bonehead?" Genkai barked. "You didn't include me in the bet!"

"Ah!" Kurama pounded his fist into the palm of his other hand. "So that's it."

"So what's it? I don't get it!" whined Yusuke. "Would someone start talking clearly?"

"I'm talking about the bet you and Kurama made, Yusuke," Genkai clarified, looking over the rim of her teacup. The two listened with rapt attention as the older woman explained, "I knew the instant Kurama suggested Kuwabara and Hiei get Yukina presents Yusuke would want to weigh in the issue. He would jump at the opportunity to wreck the life of his best friend."

"Hey!" Yusuke interjected. "You make me sound like some monster!"

"But ruining only one half of their competition wouldn't suffice. Plus, messing around is always better with a buddy. I waited all night, but…" Genkai glared at Kurama. "Yusuke left the party without talking to me."

Kurama smiled, "I apologize. However, I am the one who knows Hiei best."

Eyes narrowed, Yusuke glanced between the two of them. "Oooh, I get it now. Ba-san, you wanted in on our bet."

Sighing, Genkai set her teacup on the floor. "Yes. I realize it's hard for me to make trips into the city, but that doesn't mean you couldn't have consulted me. Tormenting you youngsters makes this heart young again. There's nothing else like it."

Kurama laughed sheepishly while Yusuke fumed, images of his training with her coming to mind. Spurn forward by his anger, Yusuke snipped, "Well, who needs you anyway? We did just fine without you."

"Hardly," Kurama cut in. "I believe the earlier incidence proves beyond a shadow of a doubt how ill-equipped we were in performing the task. I should have trusted my instincts and walked away instead of listening to you. My life is a nightmare because I did."

"Oh yeah, well it hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows for me either, Kurama," Yusuke scoffed. "I was kicked out a restaurant and told not to come back."

Kurama fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Yeah, well, I supposedly vandalized a McDonald's."

"I tried to humiliate Kuwabara in front of Yukina but they got a standing ovation instead."

"Hiei wrecked my brand new camrecorder."

"I helped a pervert look at my girl's chest."

"I'm a wanted fugitive at the mall for destruction of property and arson."

"Then I was dumped."

"My brother told me to use a hose instead of a shower."

"The guys I asked to bully Yukina were arrested for harassment and assault. They begged me to pay the bail, but I'm pretending I don't know them."

"I was chased through a forest, a fiery dragon snapping at my heels. With my plants helpless against a beast of fire, I nearly died." Kurama sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly. "But you know what?" Kurama turned towards Yusuke, his arm raised for Yusuke to clasp his hand. His green eyes shone with pride and fanatical determination as he fiercely whispered, "We survived."

Reflecting Kurama's resolute gaze, Yusuke nodded. He gripped Kurama's hand with his. Then he grinned. "Did ja really shower with a hose?"

The burning glare Kurama gave Yusuke could have melted steel.

Chuckling to herself, Genkai smiled, "Maybe it's better that I didn't help them. Sure makes for a funnier story."

Breaking apart, they turned towards Genkai. Yusuke demanded, "Who won? Who had the better prank?"

Turning to face them, Genkai placed "To decide that, first we must discuss why the two of you failed. First, Kurama, you—"

"How can you lecture us about why things didn't work out when we didn't even tell you what happened?" Yusuke asked, indignant.

"I know the two of you well enough to say without knowing the specifics. Now shut up and listen." Yusuke grumbled, but he didn't say anything more. Genkai lifted her teacup towards the red-head with blond highlights. "Your plans were far too complicated for the relatively simple task of embarrassing someone. Because you felt pressured by the time limit, you didn't think your plans through completely before executing them, thus your lack of foresight and Hiei acting unpredictably. Your inability to adapt to new situations as they arise caused you to fail."

Rubbing the underside of his nose, Kurama eyes misted over in thought. "Yes. I suppose that's why."

"And Yusuke."

"Yeah?"

"You're just dumb."

"Hey!"

"You're the complete opposite of Kurama. You never thought at all. You just reacted. Both planned strategies and adaptability are needed to properly prank someone."

Yusuke asked in a serious tone. "So who won?"

Genkai stirred a packet of cream in her tea with a finger. "So you made a bet and want to know who's better than the other. But you know what? That doesn't matter. Because what really matters the most…" Crossing her arms, Genkai closed her eyes and lowered her head. Yusuke and Kurama leaned towards Genkai, their excited fervor barely contained. Opening her eyes, she smirked. "Is that you've made some wonderful memories. Right?"

"NO!"

Genkai chuckled, shaking her head. Then she stood up. Surprised, Yusuke and Kurama watched her. "Either way, you're just the side dish, not the main meal."

"What side dish? What meal? You're just making me hungry."

In a grave voice, Kurama stated, "It's time, Yusuke."

"Yes," Genkai said. "It's time for the other bet."

Yusuke's eyes widened. "Oh, you mean…"

"It's time for Kuwabara and Hiei to give Yukina their gifts."


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Yukina sucked in a deep breath, summoning up her courage. "Um, Kazuma-san?"

Kuwabara turned around. "Yes, Yukina-san? What can I do for you?"

Her heart raced and her face flushed upon seeing him smile. "I was wondering if it was possible that I could talk to you."

"Of course!" A grin lit up his face. "What's up?"

Yukina glanced behind Kuwabara. Hiei leaned against the wall, his eyes closed while Keiko and Botan swept up the last bits of Kurama's cookies. Yukina meet Kuwabara's eyes. "I think it would be best if we were alone…"

Kuwabara blinked. His own face tinting red, Kuwabara placed a hand behind his head and laughed a little too loudly. "R-Right! Sure, whatever you want."

After they slid closed the doors behind them, Yukina entreated, "Please wait here a moment," and disappeared down the hall.

Shuffling his feet, Kuwabara stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans. _Should I give her my present for her now? No, the shrimp and I promised that we would exchange our gifts to her in front of everyone so they could be the judges. Plus I don't have mine on me right now. I stuck it with the rest of Genkai's presents so Yukina-san wouldn't notice. Still…_ Knowing the stakes, Kuwabara felt he was bathed in a sauna of pressure. He certainly was sweating as much.

"Kazuma-san." Kuwabara looked up to see Yukina walking towards him, a blue wrapped present in her hands. It was slightly larger than a Rubik's cube. She stopped in front of Kuwabara. Blushing, she held out the present with both hands. Ducking her head, she muttered, "Um, here. This is for you."

"F-For me?" Kuwabara gasped. The thought of her getting him a gift never occurred to him. Yukina nodded. Gently claiming the wrapped box, Kuwabara blinked several times. "Thank you," he said quietly, meaning it. "Thank you." Kuwabara lifted a corner of the wrapped paper with his finger.

"I bought it last minute!" Yukina blurted. Then she covered her mouth with a hand.

Kuwabara froze. Then he reassured, "It's all right—"

"I thought and I thought and I thought about what I could give you but I couldn't come up with anything," continued Yukina, unable to stop herself. "At least not until after we parted last night. But then because it was so late, all the stores were closed. But what I saw in the windows were a lot more money than I had. I searched everywhere and I couldn't find it. Just when I was about to give up I bought it…" Yukina buried her faces behind her hands. "… _there_ ," she whimpered.

"Yukina-san, it doesn't matter to me where—"

"I got it at a yard sale!" Yukina blurted. "A yard sale! The boss of the yard sale was putting away all of his things because it was so late, but I saw what I wanted to get you and I could actually afford it! But I also saw all the other things he had out for sale and, well, I mean, I'm probably not a very good judge, but they all looked to be in bad shape so I don't know if what I got you will work or if it's broken entirely so I'm sorry!" Yukina sniffed, her voice trailing off like the wind. "I'm sorry…"

Once again a slow smile grew on his face. If Kuwabara could love her anymore, he thought his heart world burst. "Yukina-san," Kuwabara began, ensuring that his tone was gentle, so not as to upset her any further. "It doesn't matter to me that you got this present last minute." _In fact,_ Kuwabara thought, _I bought Yukina-san's present earlier this morning._ "Or where you bought it. Or if it doesn't work." His eyes staring deep into Yukina's red orbs, Kuwabara said, "No matter what this present is, I know I'm going to love it."

"Why?" Yukina asked, incredulity lining her voice. "You haven't even opened it yet."

"Because it's from you."

Yukina's eyes flew open and her mouth parted. Then her eyebrows scrunched together in disbelief and she began to shake her head. "No. No. How could… How could something from me be worth that much?"

"How?" Kuwabara laughed. "That's simple."

 _It's not simple!_ Yukina wanted to scream. _You don't understand!_

"You're my treasure."

The answer was so unexpected, Yukina jerked. _W-W-What?!_ She may not have known the meaning and nuances of dating, but she understood that. Blinking rapidly, Yukina covered her mouth with a hand and turned her head away.

Kuwabara glanced between the present in his hands and Yukina's face. _Did I upset her? Did I come on too strong?_ He despaired at the thought.

Lowering her hand from her mouth, Yukina licked her lips and swallowed. "Open it," she said in a decidedly neutral tone.

Disheartened, Kuwabara tore open the wrapping paper and opened the cardboard box. "A… camera?" Kuwabara lifted the camera out of its packaging, to examine it further. It was an antique instant camera, the kind that spat out the picture on the bottom and took a moment for the captured image to appear on the black film. The same type of camera Botan liked using. Speaking of… "Aren't you afraid of cameras?"

"O-Oh, no. Afraid is, um, a strong word. I just thought they stole your soul." Yukina fiddled with her kimono as she explained, "Botan-san showed me all the pictures she has taken since everyone's met. And well, since you're all here and okay, and Botan-san as a ferry girl knows souls, I guess cameras don't, uh, take people's lives. Plus," A faint smile appeared on her lips. "Everyone looked so happy in the pictures. Like they were having fun."

Kuwabara played with the camera, turning it so he could view it from every angle. _But still, why a camera? If she was scared of them before there must be an important reason she chose to give me this._

"Tarukane."

Kuwabara's head shot up. Yukina meet his stare with an even gaze. "He always impressed in me that if he wasn't trying to take my crystal tear gems, then someone else would. While you call Tarukane a torturer, he wasn't that… bad. He stopped once I cried. Once he had what he wanted. However, someone else may not be so kind. Might want… more. You told me my ability to smile after the darkness I experienced inspires you. But what if," Yukina's voice faltered. "What if I couldn't be able to smile at you again? That's, that's my greatest fear."

His eyes welling up, Kuwabara breathed, "Yukina-san…"

"But our conversation last night made me realize something. I faced Tarukane before I met all of you. I was alone. I was convinced no one would miss me if I died. That's why I gave into Tarukane. But if I was kidnapped now, then I'd know that there are people out there who will rescue me. My memories are proof that I have friends who care about me. I could endure the pain; I wouldn't cry, not if I remembered all the fun times I had with everyone."

Kuwabara's throat closed up, a lump blocking the intake of air. His vision became blurry.

"And that way I'll know. I'll know…" Yukina's intense red eyes bored into Kuwabara, plunging deep into his soul. Kuwabara froze, lost within the power of her gaze.

 _I should take my own advice and forge a new path and leave a trail of memories behind. A new path …with him at my side. After all, there is no person in all the three realms…_

Like a ray of sunshine after a storm, Yukina smiled. "I'll know that I'll smile when I'll see you again."

 _…whose wife I want to be more!_

From head to toe, Kuwabara trembled. The box and wrapped paper were mercilessly crushed and the camera in his other hand was next. He hung his head, his hair covering his eyes in shadows. But Yukina could still spy the tear tracks running down his cheeks. "I swear…" he spoke at last, his voice raw and throaty. "I swear I'll protect—!"

" _Don't_." Yukina cut in like a knife. Her eyes burned, despite the chill emanating from her body. This was the ice demon who left her homeland behind, who never forgave them for abandoning her brother. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

Just as Kuwabara was about to object, images flooded his mind. His losses at the Dark Tournament. Being kidnapped by Sensui. Saying goodbye to Yusuke as he left to train in the Demon Realm. All times he wanted to be strong, but had failed. Wasn't good enough. Was pushed aside. "But my desire to protect you is all I have. Without that, I'm nothing."

"You're not nothing!" Yukina happily cried. "You're honest, loyal, and noble. A man among men, right?"

Kuwabara's words echoed in his head. _"Why wouldn't anyone not want to be close to you? You're the kindest, sweetest person I ever met!"_

Despite the tears falling down his face, Kuwabara smiled. _She may not understand what going out or dating is. But I pierced through her barriers and was able to speak to her heart._ A low chuckle escaped his lips. His shoulders began to shake.

 _Maybe that's the greatest gift._

"Kazuma-san?" Yukina asked, eyeing him with worry.

 _Time._

" _Yoshi_!" Placing his hands under Yukina's arms, Kuwabara hoisted her up into the air. Yukina gasped. Pivoting on his heel, He spun her around. "We're going to have a great life together, Yukina-san! This camera will bear the proof of all our best memories and—"

 _Crunch._

Yukina's ankle slammed into the wall of the narrow hallway.

"Shit!" cussed Kuwabara. "I-I mean, crap. Damn it—No! Uh, are you all right?!" He went to place her on her feet, before recalling to be wary of her ankle. He gently sat her down instead. "Yukina-san?" He searched her face, but her bangs overshadowed her eyes. Her shoulders shook. Horror settled deep within the pit of his stomach. "Yukina-san, I'm sorry. Please don't cry—"

Yukina threw her head back and laughed. She laughed so hard, she cried; purple orbs fell from her eyes.

"Eh?" Kuwabara looked at her ankle. There was no damage, or if there had been, Yukina had already healed it. Amazed, Kuwabara glanced back at Yukina. She was holding her side as though there was a stitch in it. He cracked a smile. He opened his mouth. Then he let himself go and laughed, too. Their happy peals of laughter echoed throughout the temple.

* * *

Kurama's warm breath on her ear sent a shiver down Botan's spine as he murmured, "A minute. That's how long it'll be until Hiei snaps. What do you think?"

Botan swallowed. "I'm not sure." Kurama, Yusuke, and Genkai had returned a few moments earlier to find Kuwabara and Yukina, the stars of the show, had gone missing. However, their location was quickly given away by their loud laughter just beyond the sliding doors. Hiei, who had been resting against a wall, immediately stirred, his eyes snapping wide open. He stared at the doors with a vengeance as though he could make them spontaneously combust. "But if I had to guess it would be sooner than that. Thirty seconds."

Botan hid her trembling fingers by clutching her obi, the sash worn at the waist of a kimono. The thought of Hiei snapping put her on edge. _It doesn't seem like too much of a stretch for him to turn on us after he's finished tearing into Kuwa-chan. After all,_ Botan glowered at Kurama, _at the mall Hiei didn't have as much fun as Kurama-kun was having at our expense._

They hadn't spoken since the incident. As if he expected their friendship wouldn't change after he asked her to go to what could have been a date and then used her to make himself look good.

Seeing her tightlipped frown, Kurama sighed. He ran a hand through his blond streaked red hair. "Botan-san, we need to talk. I—"

The sliding doors slammed opened, Kuwabara leading Yukina behind him by the hand. "As I was saying, that camera will be proof of the memories we make. And the present I got for you will go with it perfectly!"

Kurama and Botan glanced at each other. Camera? Memories? Present? _Uh oh._

Hiei pushed himself off the wall with a foot, glaring at Kuwabara and Yukina standing by the pile of presents. Even Keiko and Yusuke stopped bickering to pay attention. Although Genkai extruded an air of indifference as she sipped her tea by the food table, Botan could see her eyes trailing Hiei. The fire demon marched over to them, his muscles bulging from under the cloak and emitting heat waves. The tension in the room skyrocketed. But Kuwabara continued chatting in Yukina's ear, blissfully unaware.

"See my present, Yukina-san, is—"

"Oh? What's this?" Yukina lifted up a thin, long rectangle present wrapped in tissue paper. "It has my name on it."

Hiei stopped dead in his tracks. His breathing becoming slightly heavier, he swayed on his feet, as though unsure if he should continue forward or retreat.

Kurama gasped in Botan's ear. "That's Hiei's present!"

Botan turned to him. "What?!"

"I saw Hiei add it to the pile earlier," he explained.

"Uh, Yukina-san," Kuwabara started, confusion written on his face. "That's not from—" But it was too late. Yukina had already tore through the paper. She sucked in a breath.

"What is it?" Yusuke asked, his impatience rearing its ugly head.

At a loss for words, Yukina turned around, fabric spilling from her fingers. At once everyone gasped. As Kurama had guessed, Hiei's present for Yukina was indeed a kimono. But it was a kimono the like of which no one else had seen. A subdued neon green seamlessly blended into teal into artic blue into indigo into the lightest of lavender. The changing hues arced and dipped all around the front, back, and sleeves, caught in a mesmerizing dance of color. The obi was a muted red, although hints of pink helped it match the kimono. A large bow, deep navy blue as the twilight, was attached to the back of obi, its twin ends nearly ankle length. When worn, the ends of the bow would float behind her, emanating an air of demure grace. The greens of the kimono complimented her seafoam green hair and the red obi brought out her eyes and matched the red hair ribbons she so often favored. It was a kimono made for Yukina.

"Oh, it's beautiful, no breathtaking!" Yukina cooed. "Oh, thank you! Thank you, Kazuma-san!" She hugged Kuwabara, squeezing for all she was worth.

The doors to the temple's entrance opened, sending a blast of chilly November air into the temple, causing everyone to shiver. When Botan turned to look, Hiei was gone. "Kurama-kun, Hiei left—" Kurama, too, had disappeared.

Biting her lip, Botan gazed at the scene before her. Yukina happily raved over her kimono, while Kuwabara appeared to be stunned, fumbling for a proper explanation to give. The familiar feeling of dread curled up in her stomach.

 _I knew this bet was going to end with a broken heart._

* * *

"Hiei, wait!"

Hiei didn't bother with turning around. He leaped into the branch of a nearby tree. Bending his knees, Hiei braced his legs to jump again. But his feet didn't budge. Confused, Hiei looked down. The tree branches grew shoots that wrapped around his ankles. _Damn that kitsune!_ His love for hanging out in trees had proven to be a weakness.

A smirk on his face, Kurama took his sweet time climbing the tree. With an "upsy daisy" Kurama hauled himself onto tree branch and sat down heavily next to Hiei. "Why don't you take a seat?" he offered, the branches retracting from Hiei's ankles. A dangerous gleam in his eye, Kurama smiled. "I guarantee you'll be more comfortable that way."

 _Damn that kitsune!_ Suppressing a growl, Hiei sat.

"Wow! What an amazing view!" Swinging his dangling legs, Kurama placed a hand to shield his eyes as he gazed out at the expanse before them. "The moon looks so large up here. And the forest! It goes on for miles. The wind is fraught with the scent of pine trees and dirt. The stirring of the tree tops, why, one could say it's like a lullaby."

Hiei crossed his arms. _Stop trying to tick me off and get to the point._

Kurama watched Hiei tense out of the corner of his eyes. The kitsune let out a small sigh. Scanning the horizon, Kurama asked, "If you were aiming for something with that high of quality, why bother scouring the Human Realm at all?"

"…I wanted to avoid extortion, if possible."

"And did you?"

" _Aa_ , some old woman tailor in the Demon Realm was so grateful I scared off this perverted old man that she did the job for free."

Kurama laughed. "I wish I was there."

Standing up, Hiei declared, "My time is wasted here. I'm leaving."

Raising an eyebrow, Kurama crossed his arms. "So you're going to go off on your own to sulk because of an honest mistake?"

Veins popping on his temple, Hiei whipped around, his hand on his sheath. He snarled, "Don't speak of matters that you don't understand!"

Kurama's green eyes widened in alarm. Then he dropped all pretenses and stated quietly, "Then enlighten me."

After a moment, Hiei relaxed his stance. His face twisted with disgust, as he stared over the forest. "He won. That stupid oaf won. He's made Yukina happier than I have."

"Tell me why you think so."

Hiei glanced back at Kurama. He placed his elbows on his knees and rested his chin on his interlocked fingers. He was listening. Still, Hiei hesitated. "I'd like to go home sometime this week."

 _Stupid kitsune! Are you going to be serious or not?_ Fueled by his frustration, Hiei plopped down onto the branch. He rested his elbow on his bent knee, letting his hand dangle. "I overheard a conversation between Yukina and the moron last night." Kurama nodded. "She was crying about something, and I was about to approach her when that idiot just happened across her. He took her to a park they've apparently been to before, where he told her that she's the strongest of all of us. Because she smiled after being that bastard Tarukane tortured her. And then they… they…"

"Made out? Had s—"

"NO!"

"Then I don't see what you're so worked up about," Kurama replied, pushing away Hiei's fist that was in his face. "From what you've told me, I've concluded Yukina-san spoke very little during their conversation. It was Kuwabara-kun supporting her, not the other way around."

 _That's true, but…_ The images of Yukina burying her head in Kuwabara's chest at the park and the joyful embrace she gave Kuwabara after opening the kimono flashed before his eyes. "She's never hugged me."

Kurama smirked. "You're not exactly a cuddly teddy bear, you know. Although, I'm sure most girls find you cute."

"Shut up, Barbie." Scowling, Kurama ran through a hand through his blond-red hair, muttering about Yusuke and revenge.

"The point is it should have been me. Not that stupid oaf."

"More opportunities to console her will arise in the future. Yesterday was hardly—"

"No, there won't be. Because I'm leaving." Annoyed, Kurama opened his mouth to protest. "For good."

"W-What?" Kurama sounded devastated. "Why?"

Hiei gazed coolly towards the horizon. Standing up, he shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked over the forest, because he couldn't meet Kurama's eyes. He stood up straight because he didn't want Kurama to witness his shoulders slouching in defeat. He hid his hands in his pockets to conceal their slight tremble. "I already told you. That idiot won the bet. He didn't even have to give Yukina his present to prove that he can make her happier than I can. I've searched Yukina for all these years not to tell her that I was her brother, but to make sure that she was happy without me. And it seems my mission is complete."

"Hiei, wait. Listen to me. You're making a mistake." Desperation crept into his voice as he reasoned, "You're being too hasty. Stay here awhile and think things through."

 _Sorry, Kurama,_ Hiei smiled. _But I already have. I knew that the moment I made the bet that I would do this if I lost._ He turned away.

A hand fisted the front of Hiei's cloak and spun him around face to face with Kurama. Hiei was surprised to see tears pricking the corner of eyes as he fiercely whispered, "Is that what Yukina-san would want?"

Hiei stared deep into Kurama's furious green eyes. He covered Kurama's hand with his own, about to remove it. He opened his mouth to speak.

"Hiei-saaaan! Hiei-saaaaaaan!"

Kurama's eyes narrowed in challenge. Exhaling in disgust, Hiei threw Kurama's hand away and jumped down from the tree.

"Oh, there you are!" A startled Yukina exclaimed, as she stepped backwards.

Hiei exercised a skill he excelled at: looking bored. "What do you want?"

Yukina lowered her eyes in shame. "I'm sorry, but it seems I made a mistake. You see, Kazuma-san explained everything to me. Apparently both you and Kazuma-san had gotten gifts for me and I'm very grateful. But I mistook your present for his." Bowing deeply at the waist, Yukina cried, "I'm so sorry!"

Uncomfortable, Hiei shifted his weight over his feet. He didn't want Yukina to bow to him, but he wasn't supposed to care. What a conundrum.

Thankfully, Yukina rose quickly. "So, to apologize, I want to give you something."

"Huh?"

Pointing to Hiei's waist, Yukina asked, "Can I have that?"

"My sword? What do you need that for?"

"Do you trust me?"

In a heartbeat, Hiei unsheathed his sword and offered it, hilt first, to her. Yukina smiled. "Actually, I just need the sheath, please."

"O-Oh." Hiei fumbled to unbuckled the sheath from his waist and give it to her. Yukina stared at the black sheath in her hand for a long moment. Then she raised her free hand a few inches above the sheath. Ice blasted from her palm, coating the scabbard.

Amazed, Hiei watched Yukina work her magic. Her brows frowned in concentration, she first palmed the entire sheath, front and back, before going over her work with an ice emitting finger. She seemed to move in a predetermined pattern, but from his position Hiei couldn't see.

"There," Yukina smiled, a bit of pride in her voice. "It's finished."

With quiet awe, Hiei accepted his sheath. He gasped. Emblazoned on it was a black dragon made of ice. The dragon's skinny body wrapped around the sheath ending in an opened mouth breathing fire at the sheath's open end. The ice was see through, allowing the scabbard to retain its black color (as opposed to the ice being white or blue). And yet—Hiei tilted the sheath this way and that—it didn't reflect any light, all so the scabbard could be hidden in darkness. The fierce determination in the dragon's eyes, the power with which the claws appeared to rip the sheath open, the camouflaged scabbard concealing an opponent's death… it was beautiful. It was deadly. It was a gift from his sister.

"Yukina… I…"

And not just any gift. A sword was a man's soul. And his soul was now protected by a dragon, his symbol, created by his sister. It was an outward symbol that Hiei always fought for Yukina. It was a treasure.

Yukina looked away. "I've made the ice as hard as possible, but if it does happen to melt, please bring it back to me. I'll fix it. I could even change the pattern if you want."

Hiei returned the sheath to his waist and slid his sword into it. He met her eyes. "Thank you."

Yukina blushed with happiness. "I should thank you as well. I love the kimono. It's supposed to be like the aurora borealis, right?"

"But you said that you didn't need the aurora borealis anymore."

"I said that I didn't need anything," Yukina corrected, surprising Hiei. "I don't need anything because," Yukina smiled, "I have everything I need already."

Then she raised her arms to the side and waited expectantly.

"What?" Hiei asked.

Yukina's smile faltered. "T-To thank you properly. If you don't mind, that is."

 _"She's never hugged me."_

Blushing furiously, Hiei looked away, rocking back on his heels. "I-I-I don't know what you're talking about."

Yukina's arms lowered slightly. The light in her eyes dimmed. Hiei had crushed her.

 _…Maybe because you're an asshole to her?_ _Yeah, probably._

"Tsk! D-Do whatever you want; I don't give a damn."

Unable to suppress a squeal of joy, Yukina wrapped her arms around Hiei's neck and squeezed for all she was worth. Hiei stiffened like a board. Beaming a mile wide, Yukina pressed her cheek against Hiei's cheek. Despite himself, Hiei felt his lips curling upwards. He closed his eyes. _How ironic._ He raised his arms and pressed his hands on her back. _The warmth of the ice maiden's heart is melting the coldness of the fire demon's heart._

When they released each other, Hiei strangely felt compelled to offer, "Do you want to see the aurora borealis? We should try the Human Realm. Might be different."

Yukina's eyes widened so much, Hiei thought they would fall out. "It's always been my dream to watch the aurora borealis with my b—Yes! Yes, I would love to go!"

Hiei wasn't sure if he should have spoken; after all he could still be leaving. But the pure elation on Yukina's face… Hiei knew it was time to let go of his own fears. Let go of his fear that pure, innocent Yukina would hate Hiei for his bloody past and instead face a new fear: that pure, innocent Yukina loved Hiei for who he was.

"I don't know how to thank you."

"…You could wear the kimono I got you."

"Right, of course! Come with me!"

Laughing merrily, Yukina lead Hiei by the wrist into the temple.

* * *

 _They're taking way too long. So long in fact that even Yukina-san followed them! I don't want that shrimp to be pulling anything funny while no one's watching, not when so much is riding on—_ Kuwabara slid open the temple doors. He gasped.

Yukina and Hiei were hugging.

Kuwabara felt as though someone had sucker punched him in the gut. _Why would, why would Yukina-san hug_ him _?! She likes me, doesn't she? Not…_ He happened to glance down at the camera in his hand.

 _"My memories are proof that I have friends who care about me."_

Kuwabara closed his eyes. _I know we betted that I would learn what Hiei's relationship to Yukina-san was, but I don't need to know. All I need to know is that he's important to her._ He hesitated. Then he made a decision.

 _Snap!_

With a whirling noise, the camera spat out a picture. Kuwabara pulled it out. After a few moments, the image of Yukina and Hiei hugging appeared. Kuwabara smiled.

 _Unforgettable memory #1._

* * *

A smile on his lips, Kurama watched Hiei and Yukina enter the temple. Just before Yukina stepped over the threshold, she threw a worried glance over her shoulder at the tree Kurama was perching on. Then she slid the doors closed.

Curiosity aroused, Kurama pondered her actions. _Why does she appeared to be troubled? Why it's almost as if she was afraid of being caught of something._ Kurama's eyes widened. _Of course! She mistook Hiei's present for Kuwabara-kun's gift on purpose! But why? To see Hiei's reaction? If she knew it was from Hiei from the beginning, then surely she should have assumed such a mistake would upset him. Then again, Hiei always gives off an indifferent air towards her. But that's only because Hiei wishes to hide his identity as her brother…_ Kurama gasped. _Could Yukina-san suspect that Hiei is her brother? That would make perfect sense. She mistook the gift's owner on purpose to gauge Hiei's reaction. A friend would have shrugged the mistake off, but if it belonged to a long lost brother…_ Shaking his head, Kurama grinned. _Yukina-san, you're a genius. If only you had more confidence in yourself that you didn't look backwards. You would have fooled everyone. Just how much do you know?_

Then again, what did it matter? Yukina had convinced Hiei to stay, and, judging by all their laughter from earlier, Yukina and Kuwabara had grown closer these past two weeks as well. Kurama smirked. _Guess this gift exchange idea of mine was a good thing, after all._

"Congratulating yourself?"

Kurama whipped around to see Botan sitting on her oar, floating even with the branch he was sitting on. Tilting his head, Kurama coyly smiled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Botan raised an eyebrow as if to say "Sure" but she didn't contradict him. Instead she folded her hands across her obi and fixed him an even gaze. "You said we needed to talk."

"Yes, I did." Then Kurama jumped out of the tree.

He landed neatly on the cold ground. Botan landed as well, and, though confused, she followed him to the temple wraparound porch. Reaching for something underneath the porch, Kurama said, "I hide my secrets better than Hiei and Kuwabara-kun." Standing up, Kurama turned around, holding something in his hands.

A fifteen inch tall potted tree waved slightly in the breeze. Gold and silver balls hung from the branches, gleaming in the moonlight. The scent of the Douglas Fir's pine and fertilizer tickled Botan's nose. Atop the highest bough was a miniature angel, suspiciously dressed in pink robes, not white. Accepting the tree, Botan breathed, "Oh, Kurama, it's beautiful."

Kurama's face lit up with a smile and his eyes twinkled with pride, but he tried to hide with an off handed tone. "I recall you mentioning you enjoyed Christmas and how the Spirit Realm does not partake in its celebration." Then he chuckled. "I almost bought Christmas tree lights, but I stopped when I realized the Spirit Realm mostly likely does not have outlets.

"If you are not too busy, I would like to take you out for another lunch. I was hoping that we could resume our conversation we had during our previous engagement."

"Which was?" Botan asked, raising her guard. She recalled discussing how she was the reason why Kurama had put off meeting Hiei.

Kurama's deep bottle green eyes met hers unflinchingly as he answered, "Before Hiei interrupted us, I was about to inquire into the Spirit Realm's customs and festivities."

Botan's breath was robbed from her. In all the years she had spent assisting the Spirit Detectives in their missions, not once had they inquired into her life in the Spirit Realm. They didn't care; they had more important things to do. And she was just the messenger girl. _He, he really does care about me. And where I come from._

Unable to speak, Botan fingered the end of a branch. _He's offering an apology and a chance to get to know each other better. A chance for more. Just what I wanted. And,_ Botan cut a glance at Kurama, who shoulders were tense but had a small hopeful smile on his lips. _Just what he wanted._ This wasn't happening. But it _was_. _He's given me a lovely gift, and I have no present for him in return. And I have yet to thank him for this gift._ An idea slowly formed in her mind and she smiled at the thought. _Well, as the humans say, I know of a way to kill two birds with one stone._

Moving quicker than Kurama could react, Botan kissed his cheek. Kurama stiffened, and she could feel the heat coming off his cheek. Smiling, Botan whispered in his ear, "Thank you. I'd be happy to go."

Pouring on the perkiness, Botan materialized her oar and slid onto it, giving Kurama a winning smile. "I just love this cute little thing, but I don't want the cold air to ruin it! That would be awful. So I'm just going to head up to the Spirit Realm for a bit to put my Christmas tree in my room for safekeeping. I'll be back in a jiffy! Buh-bye!" Without waiting for a reply, Botan soared off into the night sky.

Gingerly, Kurama pressed two fingers to his cheek. Then he grinned. _Next time I'm giving her mistletoe._

* * *

Not quite what some of you were expecting, huh? Next chapter is Kuwabara giving Yukina his present and the conclusion of the bet, as well as the conclusion of this story. Please read until the end! Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

Muttering something foul under his breath, Yusuke leaned against the wall, his finger in his ear. This day was certainly not turning out to be what he planned. Today was _the_ day! The day of the bet! Where either Kuwabara would never see Yukina again or Hiei confessed that he was Yukina's brother. So why did all of tonight's drama occur behind doors or outside? The only action he participated in was tearing out Kurama's hair. _Stupid Kurama,_ Yusuke thought, blinking his still sore and watery eyes. _What I wouldn't give to have another go atcha—_

"Yusuke?" Keiko called as she walked towards Yusuke, a steaming cup of tea in her hands. "Have you seen Botan-chan? She went missing a few minutes ago and I haven't seen her since."

Sighing, Yusuke closed his eyes. "Yeah, she's outside with Kurama. They're probably taking each other's clothes off by now."

Exhaling in disgust, Keiko rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Yusuke paused, then cracked open an eye. "What? No slap? No calling me an idiot or some such?"

Gazing off into the distance, Keiko pursed her lips. "You shouldn't spread such rumors."

"So there's still a correction in ya. But it lacked your usual fire. You should try again."

"Don't push me, Yusuke. I'm not in the mood." Yusuke opened his mouth to say the obvious reply but then Keiko realized her mistake. Ah, now that was a glare. "Don't even think about it."

"Too late." Pushing off the wall, Yusuke stood next to Keiko, moving quite close. Had he done such so the two wouldn't be overheard or if he liked the physical intimacy, Keiko couldn't tell. Probably both. Keiko gripped her tea cup harder. Perhaps she could use it to test if Yusuke was a bonehead as Genkai claimed all the time. She truly didn't have the patience to put up with any games tonight. As if Yusuke sensed this, he for once turned serious. "What's wrong, babe?"

Unable to meet Yusuke's eyes, Keiko stared at the cream and sugar Earl Gray tea. "It's… It's my family's restaurant. We just aren't pulling in enough customers. My parents are rattling their brains to come up with some new ideas, but… nothing has worked so far." Her voice trailing off into a whisper, Keiko continued, "If things continue down this road, I'd have to consider attending another—cheaper—university."

"Oooh? That so?" Yusuke crowed loudly, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. Genkai sat by the pastry table, sipping tea, previously pointedly ignoring the desserts and the presents. Kuwabara sat besides her, stuffing his face. Hiei leaned against the wall on the other side of the room. Yukina had disappeared earlier, saying something about changing. "Well, now that is a pickle, no two bones about it."

Cheeks burning, Keiko hissed, "What are you doing? Knock it off."

Yusuke replied with a one-eyed grin. "Yer sure that you don't want to yell at me? Better get it all out now or you'll might regret it later."

"What are you talking about?" Keiko demanded, her voice and blood pressure rising. "Yusuke, so help me—"

"In fact, I think that's what I'm gonna do." Yusuke dug out a sheet of paper out of the back pocket of his jeans, unfolded it in Keiko's face, and flicked at it with a finger. "Read it and weep."

After eyeing Yusuke suspiciously, Keiko snagged the paper out of his hand. She recognized Yusuke's chicken scratch handwriting immediately. She scanned the page. "This is… This is a résumé." Her eyes wide, Keiko looked up at Yusuke. "You…"

"Running a ramen shop by myself is boring. There's no one to share all my amazing ideas and recipes with. So when I heard from you about the Yukimura restaurant experience some trouble, I thought," Yusuke rolled up his sleeve, showing off his budging bicep. "Who better to help than me? You'll be getting all of my customers, for one. And this way we'll get to see each other more often. And I promise I won't suggest miniskirts. So." Yusuke's smug grin returned. "Gonna apologize now?"

Keiko palmed both of Yusuke's cheeks, pulled him close, and gave him a doozy. Pulling away, Keiko smirked. "I apologize for nothing."

"What?" Yusuke cried angrily. "I know exactly what you were thinking earlier; it was written all over your face. You were gonna smash that tea cup down of yours on my head."

"Not anymore, she's not," Genkai quipped, staring at the spilled tea and the broken cup shards on the floor.

"Good thing Yukina-san got you a brand new set!" Kuwabara happily chimed in. Genkai glared at him. "Oh, did I tell you happy birthday today already?"

Glaring at everyone, Genkai took a long sip from her tea. "Teenagers these days."

Yusuke winked and made a finger gun at Genkai. "That's the right attitude, you old lady, you!"

"But I do thank you."

Surprised, Yusuke glanced towards Keiko. Her face was flushed and her eyes were tearing up, but a winsome smile graced her lips. "This means so much to… Thank you."

Yusuke gripped Keiko in a tight hug. "Anything for you, babe."

When his eyes began to tear up too, Yusuke shook his head. _Stupid, Kurama,_ he thought, blinking his still sore and watery eyes. _What I wouldn't give to have another go atcha._

 _When I need him, Yusuke only thinks of himself and what he wants…_

Keiko smiled into Yusuke's shoulder. _Yusuke usually thinks only of himself and what he wants, but when I need him, he's there._

The two broke apart at the sound of a door sliding open. Yukina emerged, dressed in her stunning new kimono. She timidly thanked everyone politely when they complimented her, but Keiko could sense she was bursting with happiness. Eventually, Botan and Kurama entered as well, wearing smiles a mile long.

Yusuke leaned over Keiko and whispered, "See, I told ya."

"I thought I told you to stop," Keiko whispered back, but she couldn't hold back her smile, either. She was happy for the two of them.

"It's a good thing she's smiling, too," added Yusuke, eyeing Kurama. "If he made her upset, he would have to talk to me."

Keiko rolled her eyes. If only Yusuke was that protective of her. Instead she got accused of wanting to bash his head in. Which may or may not have been true.

"Everyone," Kuwabara shouted over the chatter in the air. When the room quieted, Kuwabara smiled at Yukina. "Now that we're all here, I would like give Yukina-san her present. From me."

Although her cheeks were twin flames, Yukina stepped forward. Kuwabara pulled a thin present not much bigger than his hand out from the Genkai's presents and turned to face his favorite ice demon. Kuwabara held out the wrapped gift. "Yukina-san," Kuwabara started, pitching his voice deep, "I…" Then he looked up.

A dozen eyes were staring at him. Curious eyes. Expectant eyes. Impatient eyes. Laughing, smiling, teasing eyes. Kuwabara had always imagined this moment: he give Yukina her gift after a long, elegant declaration of love delivered by just as elegant and cool man, topped with the gift that left her speechless. But a half dozen bodies were crowding around Yukina, hoping to get a better view. And imaging his friends in his underwear would only make Kuwabara more flustered. "A-Ah, here," he floundered. "This is from me."

"You said that already," someone said.

"Quiet!" Another person hissed too loudly.

Kuwabara sighed. _I should have just given her the present earlier when I had the chance._ Accepting the gift, Yukina smiled at Kuwabara, trying to smooth over the awkwardness. She began to tear into the ice blue wrapping paper.

"I can't see."

"SHUT UP!" Everyone else shouted.

His friends—Kuwabara loved them dearly—but they were killing the mood.

Embarrassed, Yukina stopped, but she soon continued. A glossy thin paper shinned up at her. Yukina sucked in a breath, but then she smiled.

"What is it? What is it?"

Before someone could lose their temper again, Yukina lifted her gift up in the air. "It's a pamphlet. A pamphlet to an event in which visitors can view a variety of kinds of birds from around the world." Yukina caught Kuwabara's gaze, and her eyes melted. "A good place to make memories," she murmured. "I should have known that after our conversation last night you and I both had the same idea." Her eyes swimming, Yukina breathed, "I could never thank you enough, but thank you, Kazuma-san, for this wonderful gift and for everything you have done for me."

His voice thick with emotion, Kuwabara breathed, "Yukina-san…" His heart hammering in his chest, he stepped forward. He was drawn to this young woman. Her breezy laugh, her mint green hair, her virus infected smile. The red string of fate had tied around their hearts and was reeling him in, closer and closer and—

"Birds, eh?"

"Can I see it?" A hand ripped the pamphlet from her hand.

"Move, let me see. Oh, sorry, Yukina-chan, I didn't mean to bump into you."

"They'll just shit on their heads."

"Open it up, open it!"

"Stop shoving, I can't read it."

"And birds reek. I would never want to go there."

And so the vultures descended upon Yukina, eager to dig in and feast. Poor Yukina was wedged in between Kurama on her left and Keiko and Genkai on her right and the folded out pamphlet hemmed her from the front. Standing on her tip toes, Botan tried to see over Kurama's and Keiko's heads, while Yusuke, on the far right, fought for control of the paper. Hiei, too short, was shoved aside and ignored, much to his annoyance.

"Where is it? Do you see an address anywhere? A phone number?"

"How much does it cost to go?"

"Open it, I said!"

"When does it open?"

"It is open!"

"Man, that's a lot of dough. Guess Ba-san ain't getting her Street Fighter for some time."

"No, it isn't. Look it can fold out more."

"Wow, in the spring? That's pretty shitty to make her wait that long."

"I told you to move it over, I can't see."

"Ah, there's the address. What about a phone number?"

"No, because then I won't be able to look."

"Oh, so it can." The pamphlet unfolded, tripling in size.

"Oooh, it's a map of the grounds."

"Um, guys? That's Yukina-san's." Kuwabara said but no one paid him any mind.

"I said move it!"

"No!"

 _Rrriiiiiippp._

Everyone froze.

"It was him!" Yusuke and Kurama cried, pointing at each other.

"Oh, don't even try to pawn it off onto me, Barbie," Yusuke jabbed at Kurama. "You were the gripping paper when it tore.

"I had a good view of the pamphlet, so why would I attempt to yank towards me?" Kurama countered, crossing his arms. "But even if you had done so, you couldn't have read it. After all, you're terminally blind, as you were so whining and moaning earlier."

Yukina, caught in the middle, clamped her hands over her ears.

"You wanted to see the address!"

"No, that was Keiko."

"That wasn't me. Don't blame me!"

"Who wanted to see the phone number? I thought that was you, Kurama-kun."

"Take back what you said!"

"Stop shoving!"

"Stop shouting!"

Kuwabara shook his head and sighed. _Really, guys? Really? The one time I thought I could count on you all to support me, you just start bickering like children._ When he looked up, he saw Hiei standing slightly apart from everyone, silently fuming. His eyes flicked to Yukina, and they softened. His glare at the mob intensified.

Seeing the exchange, Kuwabara heard Hiei's voice in his mind.

 _Sucking in a deep breath though his nose, Kuwabara pounded his puffed out chest with a fist. "But of course! My happiness is Yukina-san's happiness!"_

 _"You fool!"_

 _Hiei stood up and threw his tea cup to the ground, causing it to smash in a thousand pieces. Everyone jumped. His fist trembling with restrained rage, Hiei bit out, "You don't know the first thing about making Yukina happy!"_

Kuwabara thought, _He lost his temper for her sake. He was concerned that I couldn't take care of her, make her happy. Well, when I prefaced my statement with_ that _I guess I would be concerned, too, if I were him. Perhaps I should say something to him._

"Hiei."

Hiei turned to the voice, his expression neutral, but it soured upon seeing Kuwabara gesturing to him. "What do _you_ want?" When he continued to wave him over, Hiei scowled but complied. Throwing a glance over his shoulder, Hiei commented, "Those fools have ruined everything."

"Yeah, but this isn't about them. This is about us. And Yukina-san."

Hearing Kuwabara's serious tone, Hiei asked, "What do you want?" again, this time with less scorn.

 _Before we made this bet, my head was filled with dreams about all the places I could go with Yukina-san, all the fun activities we could do, all the sweet things I would tell her. So I instantly assumed that Yukina-san wanted to go out with me._

"I want to give you something." Hiei raised an eyebrow.

 _But then I realized just how little Yukina-san understood about dating. In my haste to develop our relationship, I almost overlooked just how much pain and self-hate Yukina-san was carrying._

Kuwabara pulled out a small, battered book from his back pocket of his pants and handed it to Hiei. His eyes widened.

 _So I'm going to put aside my selfish expectations of what I think our relationship should be. I'll tell Yukina-san that she's a wonderful person over and over again until she sees herself as beautiful as she is to me._

"This is…" Hiei began.

 _And maybe one day, Hiei will accept that._

Hiei gritted his teeth, waves of heat rolling off of him. "…that notebook chuck full of your perverted fantasies about Yukina."

"I do not have fantasies about Yukina-san, I have plans—I-I mean. Hey!"

Hiei snatched the notebook from Kuwabara's hands and flipped through it. "Where's Yukina's names written in sharpie?"

Kuwabara blushed, "In the front—H-Hey, wait! Stop looking through it!"

"There's also all these girls' names crossed out here. Who is…" Hiei narrowed his eyes, sounding out the English. "Sheeliaaa?" He snickered. "So desperate you tried foreign women, idiot?"

"Shelia's a nobody; now listen to me!"

Hiei smirked as if to say, "Why the hell should I ever do that?"

Closing his eyes, Kuwabara sucked in a breath, held it for three seconds, then let it out through his nose. Calmer, Kuwabara explained, "Yes, that's the notebook full of ideas I had about Yukina-san and I. I'm giving it to you."

Hiei's face twisted in disgust. "I'm not going to read this and approve of it, you scumb—"

"No, no, no! Not that!"

Puzzled, Hiei frowned. "Then you know what I'm going to do with it." It was a statement, not a question. Kuwabara nodded. Hiei drew to a pause. _Huh_ , he thought, throwing the book in the air and catching it. _Interesting._

 _I have kept my distance from Yukina, certain that if she learned what kind of person I am, she would hate me. But the idiot never stopped chasing her down. Unafraid, he relentlessly pursued her, becoming the kind of person that she wanted him to be. Someone who supported her, who reassured her of her strength. I was convinced she didn't need me anymore._

 _But when Yukina made the ice dragon for me, I realized that she understands. She understands the kind of person I am. And she accepts me anyway._ Remembering their embrace, Hiei closed his eyes.

 _Maybe one day, I can accept myself as her brother._

A crazy thought, one that Hiei dismissed as soon as it had entered his mind. A stupid thought. A dangerous thought. But still, a nice thought.

Opening his eyes, Hiei studied Kuwabara. Kurama's words echoed through his head. _"Is that what Yukina-san would want?"_

 _I don't know if Yukina would accept me, but I do know how she feels about this stupid oaf._

Kuwabara pronounced, "I want you to burn it, Hiei."

"Too lazy to do it yourself?"

Kuwabara shook his head. "No, it's just…" He stared deep into Hiei's eyes. "It would make me happy if you were the one to do it."

Hiei smirked, recalling how Kuwabara once decried of the demon's ability to make others happy. Kuwabara might have been mistaken, but he thought he saw Hiei's smirk soften into something else as he burned the notebook with a conjured fire.

As the book burned, Kuwabara's and Hiei's eyes met and they reached the same conclusion. The bet didn't matter. It didn't matter who could make Yukina happier; they both did. The two understood and related to Yukina differently, but without the one or the other, Yukina would despair. In the pursuit of her happiness there were no losers—only winners.

Throwing aside the handful of ash, Hiei explained, "I am loathe to do anything you suggest. I do what I want, understand?"

Kuwabara frowned, going over the statement in his head. _But then doesn't that mean he wanted to do what I suggested?_

An eruption of giggles caught their attention. Yukina, having detangled from the mob, watched them both, chuckling. "It's good to see you two get along."

Stunned, Kuwabara and Hiei glanced at each other. Then they turned around and scoffed, "As if that'll ever happen!"

Yukina only giggled more.

"Hey look, a stereo! I forgot it was here!" Rock music blasted through the temple area. "Oh, yay!" Botan clapped her hands. "Let's dance!" A sword sailed through the air, splitting the stereo into two.

Botan screamed, falling on her bottom. Hiei crossed his arms, a smug grin on his face. Kuwabara clawed his hair and screeched, "That was my stereo!"

"Guess you'd better get a new one."

"You listen here, shrimp," Kuwabara leaned down, pointing his finger into Hiei's face. "No one even agreed to her idea. There was no reason to destroy it!"

"There was every reason."

"Such as?"

"I wanted to."

"Why you little runt!"

As Botan picked herself up, she suggested, "W-Well, if we can't dance, we can sing, right? Let's sing Christmas carols!"

"Oh, that's a great idea, Botan-chan," Keiko smiled. "How about—"

Yusuke leaned closer to Keiko and snorted, "I could sing, too, but my farts would clear the room."

"Yusuke!" Keiko snapped.

"That's right!" Yukina gasped. "We haven't sung Happy Birthday to Genkai-san yet!"

Genkai scowled at Yukina, muttering, "I'm trying to be forgotten here."

"I'm already trying to save up to get tickets to go see the birds with Yukina-san and Ba-san's present. I don't have any money to spare to buy a new stereo!"

"Why do you have to be so disgusting, Yusuke?"

"Come on, everybody, let's sing. Happy birthday to you…"

"That's not my problem, moron."

"Why must the gods curse me with guests like these fools?"

"It was a joke, all right? Geez, Keiko. You're not my mom so chill, okay?"

"Excuse me?"

"I know what we could do!"

Everyone turned to see kitsune grin. "How about Secret Santa? That way, everyone gets to exchange presents. Isn't that a wonderful idea?"

"NO!"

Kurama, for the life of him, couldn't figure out why they hated the idea.

* * *

I'm a sucker for happy endings, so I couldn't let this end in disaster. Also, I can't imagine a situation in which Kuwabara or Hiei would actually follow through what they promised if they had lost. Kuwabara would never really leave Yukina alone; at best he would watch her from afar. And Hiei would be loathe to tell Kuwabara that he is Yukina's brother because he would never trust Kuwabara to not slip up to Yukina. And, as I said, I can't believe a scenario in which Hiei would willingly tell Yukina that they are related. What's far more likely is for Yukina to have realized on her own that Hiei is her brother and keep quiet about her knowledge.

I'm currently writing a Hunter x Hunter fic so if you have read or watched it, please stay tuned for that! (If you want to know more about it, feel free to PM).

Thank you for reading until the end. Before you go, let me know what your favorite parts where and what could be improved upon. I hope you enjoyed the ride.

Until we meet again,

Animercom


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